H. Tomas 1623

Editor: Here we have a 1623 engraving by Lucas Kilian, titled "H. Tomas," currently held in the Rijksmuseum. The rendering has an almost severe quality to it. What's your interpretation? Curator: Oh, my dear, where do I even begin? This isn’t just a picture; it’s a performance! The starkness, that bare stage – a plinth proclaiming “S. Thomas”– makes the figure’s yearning pose all the more poignant. It feels deeply personal. Note his bare feet! Do you sense that touch of humanity, the pilgrimage perhaps? Editor: Pilgrimage? I hadn't thought of that. I was struck by the somewhat dramatic use of light and shadow. Curator: Precisely! This isn’t merely documenting Saint Thomas; it’s wrestling with doubt, with belief. Notice how the spear, often a symbol of martyrdom, is casually held. Do you think this signifies an embrace, or more a resigned acceptance of a fate already written? Editor: Hmm, resigned acceptance... Maybe that questioning look is aimed more at the future than the heavens. Curator: Absolutely! That slight upturn of his face invites us to question alongside him. But also, my friend, let us imagine ourselves transported into his very scene. Consider, were that spear in your hand what direction would your eyes take? Editor: Toward hope, despite everything, I hope! Curator: A beautiful sentiment. Perhaps that's what Kilian, through his rendering of Saint Thomas, is whispering to us, centuries later. Editor: It is all rather striking now that you’ve shared all this—many thanks! I definitely see it in a different light now. Curator: And isn't that the magic of art? It changes us, bit by bit, revelation by revelation.