Adoration of the Host n.d.

Luigi Garzi created this drawing, Adoration of the Host, using pen and brown ink with blue wash on cream laid paper. Garzi was a leading painter in Rome during the late Baroque period, a time when the Catholic Church was a major patron of the arts. The sketch shows God the Father above the Eucharist, surrounded by angels in a celestial scene. The angels, rendered as idealized, almost feminized figures, are caught in a moment of rapture and reverence. But who is included, and excluded, in this vision of the divine? The figures seem to exist outside of earthly concerns. Although Garzi created many works of art, much about his personal life and beliefs remain a mystery, inviting us to ponder the cultural norms that shaped his artistic vision. In a world where representation was often dictated by powerful institutions, Garzi’s "Adoration of the Host" can serve as a reminder of the complex interplay between faith, power, and the artistic imagination.