Saint Bernard of Clairvaux c. 1470 - 1475

Curator: Okay, wow. This image just *pops* with this almost otherworldly devotion, doesn’t it? Editor: It does, but it also evokes questions around power. We're looking at an anonymous tempera print, dating from around 1470 to 1475, depicting "Saint Bernard of Clairvaux." Consider its context: monastic orders wielded considerable influence in medieval Europe. How did depictions of devotion serve those power structures? Curator: See, I’m pulled in more by the saint's eyes, directed upwards—lost in contemplation, or maybe receiving a divine download. It’s beautiful but almost unnerving, isn’t it? Like witnessing something deeply private. And look at the delicate line work. What sort of divine transmission were the creator trying to deliver here? Editor: The lines are intriguing. The positioning of Bernard in relation to Christ isn’t merely devotional, though; it's about solidifying authority. What does it mean to place someone, even a saint, in such proximity to divinity? Think about it regarding access to religious texts or spiritual guidance. It privileges certain figures. Curator: True, but can’t it be about striving for enlightenment, too? This intense longing mirrored on both faces. And goodness, what *is* up with Christ’s hair! Looks almost like a weird Afro of grief! And what about the choice to make this a print? I'm guessing it enabled it to become widely and easily distributed to various outposts. Like digital propaganda! Editor: Absolutely, prints allowed wider dissemination. The “digital propaganda” parallel is interesting—and astute. Regarding representation, note how the artist renders flesh tones and features according to specific period conventions that uphold, possibly unwittingly, a Western ideal of sanctity. Who gets canonized, and how? Curator: Hmm… point taken. Still, that vulnerability in both faces is quite powerful! Okay, if you were to hang this up in your bedroom, what's the one thought about this artwork that you'd take to bed with you? Editor: How easily piety becomes entwined with power dynamics. And yours? Curator: What would it be like to look at the divine face-to-face... to touch divinity? Chills!