Main Door, Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy c. 20th century

Curator: This is a drawing of the main door of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy, by Kenneth John Conant. It's rendered in pencil on paper. Editor: It feels like a portal, doesn't it? Simple, almost austere in its architectural lines. It evokes a sense of transition, a threshold to something… sacred? Curator: Absolutely. Doors, throughout history, represent passages, physically and spiritually. The Roman arch here symbolizes triumph, but it’s tempered by the classical restraint of the Renaissance. Editor: And those Corinthian columns, echoing ancient ideals. The building becomes a symbolic bridge, linking past and present, pagan and Christian. Curator: Indeed, and this measured drawing lets us really consider those connections. Conant highlights those elements. Editor: It makes me think about the Renaissance as a constant negotiation between tradition and rebirth. A door isn’t just an entrance, it's a question: what will you become when you pass through? Curator: A lovely thought, and one this drawing makes so tangible.