The Sick Summoning a Bishop Saint 1729 - 1742

Editor: This print is called "The Sick Summoning a Bishop Saint," by A. Claude Philippe de Thubières, comte de Caylus. The swirling lines and stark contrasts create a really dramatic scene. What strikes you most when you look at it? Curator: For me, it’s the dance between the earthly and the divine, captured in those elegant, almost frantic lines. Caylus gives us a glimpse into a world where sickness and faith collide, where hope literally takes flight in the form of cherubic figures. Editor: It’s interesting that you see hope. I was more struck by the suffering in the figures below. Curator: Ah, but isn’t hope often born from the depths of despair? The bishop saint offers a beacon, doesn't he? The composition guides our eye upward, toward a potential for solace. Do you see that too? Editor: I think I do. Thanks, that's a new way to look at things for me. Curator: My pleasure. Art is never truly "seen" alone, is it?