Flying Putto 1634 - 1689

Editor: This is "Flying Putto," a drawing by Ciro Ferri, dating roughly between 1634 and 1689. It's currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's remarkable how much implied motion Ferri achieves with simple strokes of pencil and charcoal. What strikes you most about this work? Curator: For me, it's the way Ferri's choice of materials and the rapid technique reveal so much about artistic production during the Baroque period. We see a departure from earlier Renaissance ideals towards a looser, more dynamic approach to representation. This drawing wasn't necessarily intended as a finished work, but rather as a preparatory study, perhaps for a larger painting or fresco. Think of the labor involved, the mass production of these preparatory sketches in studios churning out religious imagery! Editor: So, you're saying this sketch is less about the putto itself, and more about the process behind creating these large-scale works? Curator: Precisely. Consider the materiality of the drawing: the paper, the charcoals, pastels, pen. Where did these materials come from? How were they made, and who controlled their distribution? This work is indexical of the economic forces and artistic labor involved in creating religious art for a specific market. How does this materiality inflect our understanding of the spiritual subject it represents? Editor: I hadn’t considered that before! I was focused on the cherubic figure itself. Now, seeing the sketch as part of a larger production system gives it a completely new dimension. Curator: Exactly. And it prompts us to question the distinction between "high art" and the craftmanship involved in the production of sketches and studies. Editor: I guess focusing on materials really shifts the focus from the individual genius to the larger system in play. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Hopefully you will carry the value of Materialist enquiry with you in future discussions.