The miraculous draught of the fishes, Christ at the right accompanied by apostles in the boat 1520 - 1570

Editor: Here we have "The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, Christ at the right accompanied by apostles in the boat," a print or drawing from somewhere between 1520 and 1570 by Andrea Schiavone. The scene feels incredibly energetic. What story do you see unfolding in this piece? Curator: What strikes me is how Schiavone captures that exact moment between struggle and… revelation? Look at the strain in the figures' bodies hauling in the nets, contrasted with Christ’s calm demeanor. It's as if Schiavone is illustrating the very moment faith makes the impossible feel almost... routine. Like waking up one morning with the feeling of infinite power for the rest of your life. Editor: Routine, really? The dynamism feels far from everyday! Curator: But that's the heart of the miracle, isn't it? To witness something extraordinary with an almost blase quality; in art as in life, it seems that we become easily comfortable when blessed with the mystical, when given a hand from another source we can never see coming or from. What do you make of the landscape almost fading into the background, compared to the figures in the boat? Editor: That’s interesting – it makes the divine encounter feel intimate, almost private, despite taking place outdoors. Almost as if they alone had experienced such luck, ignoring the outside world, not even giving it any thought or mind. Curator: Exactly! Like a secret language shared only between those who have touched the veil. It makes you wonder about the moments of grace, right here, right now. What are we missing? Editor: This has definitely given me a fresh perspective! Seeing that secret language in what initially felt like just a depiction of a well-known biblical story. Curator: Art is so much like prayer that way – it’s never what it seems to the untrained eye. There is no formula or single element to look out for when the time for it has come. Every artist will display art according to who they are inside as a person, and that is the true journey.