Zwei Reiter mit Helmen, der eine trägt eine Fahne 

Editor: This drawing by Pietro Palmieri the Elder, "Zwei Reiter mit Helmen, der eine trägt eine Fahne" features two helmeted riders, one carrying a flag, and is rendered in ink and pencil. There's a sense of forward momentum, a charge perhaps. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: Immediately, I’m struck by the depiction of power and the potential critique embedded within it. Look at the way Palmieri portrays these figures of authority. Who are they leading, and towards what? Is this about glory, or something more complex? Editor: I see what you mean. They are clearly figures of authority but who are they, exactly? The sketchiness almost makes it seem like the artist didn’t want to glorify them *too* much. Curator: Precisely! And how does the artist portray their humanity versus their social position? The Baroque period often explored grand narratives, but it also laid the groundwork for questioning them. Do you think Palmieri is subscribing to the heroic narrative or subtly dismantling it? The unfinished quality, as you pointed out, adds another layer of ambiguity. Editor: So, the roughness almost invites us to question the image instead of just accepting it as a display of power. I never thought of it that way. Curator: Absolutely. It pushes us to consider the relationship between power, representation, and the viewer. Consider this in terms of identity and how authority impacts lived experience of the time; what are our contemporary reflections of power and their impacts? Editor: This has made me look at it completely differently. I went from just seeing horses and armor to thinking about power dynamics and critical questioning. Thanks! Curator: It’s crucial we continue questioning. This dialogue, questioning our histories and images of the past, lets us understand contemporary narratives about our society's dynamics.