The Sermon c. 19th century

Curator: Oh, this tiny, powerful etching. It’s called “The Sermon,” by Jean-Baptiste Isabey. Look at the light… Editor: It feels secretive, almost voyeuristic. Like we’re peeking into a hidden world, bathed in this dramatic light filtering through a window. Curator: Isabey was a master miniaturist and portraitist, but here, he’s capturing a sense of collective experience. The architecture dwarfs the figures, doesn't it? Editor: Absolutely, and that pillar becomes almost a character itself, dividing the space, the light playing off it. What’s interesting is how it positions the viewer outside of the main action, a witness to something more significant. Curator: Perhaps that is the point, we are always outside and have to work to understand what we see. Editor: It makes one ponder the role of institutions, religious or otherwise, in structuring our perceptions. And the artist´s. Curator: Indeed, a sermon captured not in words, but in shadows and light. Editor: A fleeting moment, preserved for us to ponder.