Head of an Old Woman 1611 - 1616

Curator: This painting, Orazio Borgianni’s “Head of an Old Woman” from between 1611 and 1616, rendered in oil, is remarkable for its intense realism. Editor: It’s almost…uncomfortably honest, isn't it? You can see every line, every fold of skin. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: For me, it's vital to consider the social and material context of its making. In the Baroque period, particularly in Italy, there was a growing interest in depicting the everyday. We can see how paint itself is manipulated, almost sculpted, to convey the harsh realities of aging and, perhaps, a commentary on the lives of women of that period. Look at the impasto, the thickness of the paint used to create the highlights. Consider who labored to produce the canvas and the pigments themselves. Editor: So, you're saying the very materials and methods contribute to the meaning? Curator: Precisely! The rough texture isn’t just about showing age, it’s also about revealing the labor inherent in creating this representation, isn't it? Were those pigments expensive at the time? How might that influence our understanding? It wasn't a commissioned work; it was Borgianni experimenting with form, playing with realism by perhaps taking on the subject of poverty as it manifests in one's face. Editor: That's fascinating. I never considered the pigment or the canvas as playing such an important role. Curator: Seeing art this way, focusing on the tangible, connects us to the processes of production, to the people behind them, and to the societal values that shaped their creation. Do you think this changes your initial impression of the painting? Editor: Absolutely! It adds layers of meaning that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I guess art history can be much more about materialism than idealism, no? Curator: Exactly. The social fabric, in turn, leaves its impressions, too.