Saint Susanna c. 1385

Curator: Let’s discuss Matteo di ser Cambio di Bettolo's "Saint Susanna," dating from about 1385. The piece employs tempera on what appears to be a drawn surface. Editor: It has the serenity of a carefully crafted devotional icon, yet the composition strikes me as particularly rigid—the architectural setting is almost as prominent as the figure herself. Curator: Note how the architectural setting – those crenellated towers and arch – it presents a clear visual structure. The blue backdrop also compartmentalizes the image. Editor: I find the crenellations themselves quite interesting. They frame Susanna with this suggestion of protection, though also of imprisonment. Consider Susanna's story - accused falsely of adultery, then vindicated. The towers may evoke both peril and refuge. And, is she holding palms of martyrdom, a symbol of her eventual suffering? Curator: Palm fronds they most assuredly are. See how they punctuate the red drapery? The artist clearly employs these reds and greens for chromatic effect and textural contrast. Notice the artist's controlled hand through line, color, and placement. The controlled perspective creates an undeniably ordered composition. Editor: It also adds another layer to Susanna's story. Perhaps the towers, set against that celestial blue, evoke an idealized version of the heavenly city, implying that the persecuted will be vindicated in God’s kingdom. The symbolic weight of such details cannot be dismissed. Curator: But, by dwelling primarily on that aspect, aren’t you ignoring how the patterning flattens depth, turning symbolic meaning into something nearer to surface ornament? The symmetry itself, in effect, overshadows the symbolism. Editor: The genius lies precisely in the combination! It is both elegant design and loaded symbolism. It manages to represent sacred content in aesthetically pleasing forms. It captures, and enhances, her story, drawing you closer through its detailed construction and balanced narrative elements. Curator: The discussion proves just how intricate these late Medieval paintings can be! Editor: Indeed, and hopefully how engaging to contemporary eyes!