Study for the Head of Christ 16th-17th century

Curator: Here we have Federico Barocci’s “Study for the Head of Christ.” It's a drawing using black and red chalk with some pastel, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Wow, that upward gaze is intense. It's like he's seeing something beyond our world, with such sorrow in his eyes. Curator: Barocci, known for his preparatory studies, focuses on the texture of the paper and the layering of chalk. The paper's weave seems to contribute to the overall soft, almost ethereal quality. The red chalk also gives an interesting vitality to the blood. Editor: It does! You see the artist grappling with capturing a sacred moment. It feels like a raw, unfiltered emotion, doesn't it? And the unfinished nature of the work somehow adds to the vulnerability. Curator: Absolutely. The physicality of creating this image underscores the intense labor and the social demand for devotional images during the Counter-Reformation. It's a powerful intersection of faith, commerce, and art. Editor: The humanity, that's what really resonates. It reminds us of the pain, yet also the hope. So powerfully rendered through simple materials. Curator: Indeed, a tangible reminder of faith made manifest.