Old man brim 

Curator: Here we have "Old Man Brim," an oil painting attributed to Domenico Fiasella. The subject is an elderly man shown from the chest up, gazing to his left with a thoughtful, somewhat melancholy expression. Editor: There's a remarkable vulnerability here, despite the fragmentary condition of the paint. I'm immediately struck by how present and human the figure feels. Look at the layering of paint in his beard – you can practically feel the coarse texture of the hairs. Curator: Fiasella was working within a fascinating period. How do you think this fits into that time, especially when portraiture was increasingly enmeshed with ideals of status and patronage? Editor: What truly captures my attention is Fiasella’s masterful handling of oil paints to convey character and emotion, but that it looks almost unfinished makes me wonder whether it could be preparatory work for a larger commission. The way he’s built up the form through careful observation of the play of light and shadow also offers something new. Curator: I think that perspective opens it to a whole new reading about Baroque portraiture beyond the wealthy elites. This would make a thought-provoking counterpoint within collections where historical narrative can shift perspectives. What stories could be illuminated with its inclusion? Editor: Absolutely. Beyond traditional art historical concerns around authorship and dating, I am also drawn to considering the human condition that makes an emotional connection across centuries – what kind of labor produced this evocative image, how did that impact the making, and why might it be displayed at this particular point in time? Curator: It is striking that the materiality speaks so profoundly to human concerns. Editor: Precisely.