Sketch 

Curator: This "Sketch," rendered in pen, graphite, chalk, and charcoal by Pietro da Cortona, resides here at the Städel Museum. Editor: My immediate response is one of quiet tension. The tonal range is limited, focusing our eye on the expressive postures and the dynamism inherent in the staging of bodies. Curator: Absolutely. Consider the Baroque sensibilities at play. Cortona uses the medium to construct an intimate and energized scene of implied power. Note how the figures coalesce and press forward. Editor: Right. We're looking at an active performance of dominance. Given the central figure wearing a mitre, flanked by hopeful faces on the left and surprised ones on the right, what context does history painting bring to this "Sketch?" Who is meant to feel restored by the central action? Curator: One could decode the figure with the mitre through a semiotic lens, considering how specific articles of clothing act as signifiers. Here, the miter is clearly intended to represent the church, faith, religious rule. The penmanship constructs a theatrical sense of divine happening, making us, the viewer, witness to a miracle. Editor: Indeed, but look at the bodies Cortona includes and how they’re placed. Given how he arranges them, how might we interpret the agency of certain bodies, of various states of dress? The history of the Baroque is one of upheaval, too, from which Cortona surely drew, both philosophically and perhaps even politically. Curator: That contrast heightens the narrative effect—the almost palpable sense of revelation within a carefully constructed composition. It masterfully employs shadow and light to amplify this moment, inviting introspection, no? Editor: Shadow and light, yes, but toward what aims? How are the most vulnerable illuminated or concealed here, by the supposed instruments of the divine? A challenging, powerful image on multiple levels. Curator: The piece demonstrates a profound control of his materials, resulting in this compelling moment, pregnant with possibilities. Editor: Right. We depart now having hopefully offered diverse points of entry into this "Sketch" by da Cortona, trusting it provokes further questioning, now informed by your experience today.