Saint Jude 1726

Editor: This is "Saint Jude," an engraving by Etienne Brion from 1726, currently housed at the Met. There's such a strong sense of piety in this portrait. What do you see in this piece? Curator: What strikes me is how this image participates in and perhaps challenges the visual language of power and submission during the Baroque period. We see St. Jude kneeling, bathed in divine light, a visual cue common in depictions of religious figures and royalty alike. But is this purely reverence, or is there something more complex at play? Editor: What do you mean by complex? Curator: Well, consider the historical context. This print was made in France during a period of intense religious and political upheaval. By portraying Saint Jude in this vulnerable yet illuminated pose, Brion may be subtly commenting on the nature of faith itself. The book in the background, what does that symbolize, for example? Is it simply knowledge, or perhaps access? Who had the right to be illuminated, literally and metaphorically, during that time? What power does it invoke to control that illumination? Editor: I never thought of it in terms of power dynamics. The light now seems less about divinity and more about visibility and access. Curator: Precisely. And who is allowed access and visibility often comes down to societal structures, right? Class, gender, religion, they all played a role then, as they still do. Think about how that impacts representations in art and beyond. Editor: That definitely gives me a lot to think about regarding how religious imagery reinforces specific power structures but could also potentially critique them. Thank you! Curator: Indeed! It makes you wonder how those old assumptions keep affecting contemporary artists. Food for thought.