The Well of Bethesda c. 1687

Editor: Here we have Luca Giordano’s "The Well of Bethesda," currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Looking at it, I’m struck by the artist’s control of space; it's as if the chaos is barely contained within the frame. What catches your eye in this work? Curator: Ah, yes, an excellent point about Giordano's contained chaos! For me, it's the tension between the earthly suffering and the divine intervention in the upper right. Do you see how the angel seems almost hesitant to descend into the turmoil? Editor: I do, there’s a reluctance in the angel's pose. I guess I was focusing on all the bodies pushing to get to the water. Curator: Exactly! It’s like Giordano is asking, "Where do we find hope amidst the suffering?" Maybe it's in that hesitant angel, or perhaps in the collective yearning of the crowd. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. I was too caught up in the drama to notice the subtleties. Curator: Art's funny that way. It keeps whispering new secrets if you listen closely enough.