The Schismatics 1807

Curator: This is John Flaxman's "The Schismatics," currently residing at the Tate. What leaps out at you? Editor: Well, the raw intensity grabs me immediately. It's stark, almost brutal in its simplicity, yet deeply unsettling. Curator: Flaxman was active in abolitionist circles. I always read this image, sourced from Dante's Inferno, as a critique of power and its violent consequences, especially in the context of systemic oppression. Editor: I see that. There's something visceral about the severed head held aloft, almost a trophy. It makes you think about who gets to wield that kind of power and who suffers because of it. The contorted bodies on the ground convey a sense of desperation, a loss of control. Curator: The linear style, so characteristic of Flaxman, intensifies the drama. It’s as if the figures are stripped bare, both physically and metaphorically. Editor: Yes, there is a rawness to this image, a testament to human fallibility and the darkness within. It's a powerful reminder of the need for constant vigilance against tyranny, in all its forms. Curator: Indeed, art’s capacity to provoke such reflections is vital.