Saint Sophia c. 17th century

Editor: This is Jacques Callot's "Saint Sophia," an early 17th-century engraving. It's a tiny print, but the scene is quite violent. What strikes you about it? Curator: It's fascinating how Callot juxtaposes Sophia's serene figure with the graphic violence in the background. It speaks volumes about the era’s attitude towards female martyrdom and the spectacle of public suffering. How does this contrast make you feel? Editor: It's unsettling. Like her stoicism is a performance. Curator: Precisely. Callot seems to be critiquing the power structures that demand such performances, where women's bodies become sites of ideological struggle. Perhaps this image invites us to consider the gendered dimensions of power and resistance in the 17th century? Editor: I never thought of it that way before. Curator: Art often allows us to examine social issues through a different lens.