Tobiah and the Angel 1593 - 1610

Editor: So, this is "Tobiah and the Angel," an anonymous painting from the late 16th or early 17th century at the SMK. It’s currently rendered in monochrome so it's hard to tell much about it. It features a figure that seems to have wings. What visual cues do you see in terms of its composition and style? Curator: Immediately, the juxtaposition of light and dark captures the eye; this is undeniably a baroque trait. Observe how the painter utilizes the formal device of light to emphasize certain compositional elements; note the tonal gradient employed in the landscape. Do you observe how the human form and its position within the pictorial field dictates our reading? Editor: I think I do! So, the angel on the left, the darkness almost seems to swallow him whole! Is it about how those gradations create a sort of visual push-and-pull, directing my gaze? Curator: Precisely! The spatial composition divides the landscape. But why? The angel's downcast eyes might evoke the visual experience of that landscape behind it - directing Tobiah's and the viewers attention to that background in relation to him and vice versa. Editor: It is such an intricate interplay between the foreground and the recessive background elements that creates its spatial feeling and an unusual atmosphere. Thanks for this deconstruction; now I notice things that I did not see on the surface. Curator: Likewise. A continued application of these practices enhances and deepens comprehension.