Tarpeia being crushed under the shields of the Sabines 1612 - 1666

Editor: Here we have "Tarpeia being crushed under the shields of the Sabines" by Giovanni Angelo Canini. It seems to have been made sometime between 1612 and 1666. The medium looks like oil paint on a charcoal drawing. The mood is somber. So what is your take on this drawing? Curator: Well, what strikes me is the sketchiness of it all – the raw energy. It’s like we're peering into the artist's mind as he wrestles with this rather violent scene. Imagine those shields, one by one, burying her. But then, perhaps it's about betrayal, about trust misused, wouldn't you say? What do you make of Tarpeia's expression or pose in that very moment? Editor: She definitely looks like she regrets something! It makes the figures seem so dynamic, even unfinished. The overlapping forms add to that frantic energy. Curator: Exactly. It's as though Canini isn't merely depicting an event but also the emotional turmoil surrounding it. You know, this piece reminds me a bit of how memories work - fragmented, incomplete, but still powerful. Do you think Canini romanticizes it at all? Or perhaps, he reveals its gritty nature? Editor: I see what you mean. Maybe the incomplete parts let you fill in the horror with your own imagination, which is worse. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. And isn't it amazing how a simple drawing can spark such potent thoughts?