Joachim and Anna 1609 - 1699

Curator: Oh, my, a secret revealed. It whispers of tenderness, doesn't it? Editor: Indeed. Here we have "Joachim and Anna," a black chalk drawing on paper created sometime between 1609 and 1699 by Juan Ribalta. It's part of the Art Institute of Chicago's collection. Curator: The way they’re leaning into one another... a silent communion. You know, it feels less like a study and more like a stolen moment, caught in the charcoal’s embrace. Like looking at an unfinished dream of an embrace. Editor: Well, Ribalta was working within a well-established academic tradition. Depicting Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin Mary, would be seen as a way to explore themes of piety and familial devotion. The figures are rendered with anatomical precision typical of Renaissance ideals. The cross-hatching, use of light and shadow—it suggests he was perhaps exploring form for a larger painting. Curator: True, but it feels so raw! Look at the smudges, the imperfections... they make it more intimate. It’s the space between the lines where the soul peeks through. This embrace is a statement about love transcending age and societal expectations. I'm thinking there is something beautifully radical about choosing this for focus. Editor: Absolutely, and in that era, patronage played such a vital role. Religious imagery like this, especially depicting figures central to Christian doctrine, was commissioned to reinforce faith and social order. It reinforced conventional society back then and can have radical implications nowadays. Ribalta would have been acutely aware of his audience. Curator: Hmmm. Perhaps. To me it speaks of something eternal, the quiet strength of those who dare to love against the odds... regardless of context. It's not always grand pronouncements or epic heroism. Sometimes, holiness is a shared glance. Editor: A moving interpretation, yes. Reflecting on "Joachim and Anna" through Ribalta's draftsmanship reminds us that art can be both devotional and deeply human. Curator: I’ll walk away holding the idea that even in a sketch, the heart finds its voice.