Tríptico abierto: Busto de Cristo, San Juan Bautista y San Pedro. Cerrado: San Juan Evangelista y Santa Columba 1495

Editor: This triptych by Antoniazzo Romano, titled "Open Triptych: Bust of Christ, Saint John the Baptist, and Saint Peter. Closed: Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Columba," created around 1495 with tempera on wood, is so striking. It’s quite a complex composition, divided into several panels with very muted colors overall, but still really compelling. How would you interpret this piece, focusing on the composition? Curator: The tripartite structure of the painting is paramount to understanding its visual dynamics. We must examine the geometric relationships between the panels, as they form a cohesive narrative through their structural arrangement. The figures are carefully positioned, almost in dialogue across the panels. Consider the weight of the drapery; how does it fall, how does it describe the figures underneath, and how do these choices impact the overall harmony of the composition? Editor: I see what you mean about the figures conversing; that center panel of Christ does create an anchor point between the two wings. How does the palette influence the way we read this narrative, then? Curator: Note the deliberate use of tempera: its matte finish mutes the colour and intensifies the interplay between light and shadow, drawing your eye to the faces. It directs the eye, heightening the symbolic significance. Further still, how does the symmetry in the outside panels reflect thematic and symbolic choices related to the balance of power? Editor: That’s interesting to think about. I hadn't considered how the formal composition emphasizes symbolic meanings. Curator: Indeed. The Renaissance was nothing if not calculated in its reverence of balance, proportion and order. I'm so glad we could explore that together.