Ecstasy of a Female Saint n.d.

Editor: This drawing, "Ecstasy of a Female Saint" by Domenico Piola, really struck me. It looks to be ink, chalk, and charcoal on paper. It's very ethereal, the saint almost floating, and I'm curious about how Piola achieved this mood. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Intriguing choice. Primarily, I observe the artist’s handling of line and volume. Note the contrast between the more defined figure of the saint and the sketchier, less resolved background elements, such as the barely-there figures behind her, in comparison to the fully articulated depiction of the book at the lower part of the work. Ask yourself, how do these formal choices contribute to the overall reading of the drawing? Editor: I see what you mean about the varied level of completion in the drawing; it does create a kind of visual hierarchy. I hadn't really focused on the book so much but do see how its solid treatment advances it within the visual plane, making it appear closer to the foreground than, say, the architecture around the main figure. What about the textures of the materials, though? Are there choices being made there to guide our reading? Curator: Precisely! The contrast between the smooth washes of ink, suggestive of a certain weightlessness, and the chalk's rougher, more textured application reinforces this visual hierarchy of figure over architectural background. The velvety texture of charcoal models her robe, which both lifts it out of the wash of chalk, but keeps it linked to the ground because of that darkness. Editor: That's fascinating. So, by controlling not just the lines but also the materials and how they were applied, Piola is really orchestrating our gaze. Thank you. I’ll be more aware of material contrasts going forward when viewing a work like this. Curator: An excellent consideration. Now I feel that, too, and that’s how it should be.