Two Seated Male Figures Within Spandrels 1500 - 1563

This ink drawing of two seated male figures was made by Andrea Schiavone in the 16th century. Note how the arms of the figures are raised in gestures of exclamation or perhaps supplication. Such gestures are deeply embedded in our collective visual memory. Consider the figure with the upward-facing palm. This motif appears across cultures and epochs, from ancient Egyptian art to Renaissance paintings. It is a primal expression of openness, of appeal to a higher power. In antiquity, a similar gesture might signify reverence or submission to the gods. Yet, observe how Schiavone infuses it with a heightened sense of drama and emotion. This upward reach embodies not just obedience but a profound yearning, a reaching for divine intervention. The survival and adaptation of gestures and symbols reveal the enduring power of images to convey complex emotions, resonating within us across the ages.