St James the Greater Conquering the Moors 1750

Curator: Oh, my! That's, that's just dripping with self-importance. All those swirly clouds and the poor Moor crushed beneath the horse… It’s theatrical, isn't it? Editor: Absolutely! That is "St James the Greater Conquering the Moors" rendered in oil by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo around 1750. He just revels in the grand scale. It's more stage production than painting, I think. Curator: Well, of course! St James, that shining, righteous figure atop his dazzling white steed, a veritable halo glimmering just so... Tell me, what is it about that saint and the Moors that lent itself to this kind of glorification? I sense something a little…charged here. Editor: Well, St. James became a symbol of the Reconquista, the Christian effort to reclaim Spain from Moorish rule. Over time, he morphed into "Santiago Matamoros," or "St. James the Moor-slayer." These portrayals cemented that association of religious and ethnic dominance in ways we should confront, honestly. Curator: See, to me the flag kind of dominates the narrative. A big flag is all pompous pronouncements, wouldn't you agree? The details are what give it the interesting context, you know? The fallen weapon... That cherubic glance from those almost comical angels peeking out from the top. They have their own conversation to have, totally divorced from the carnage below! Editor: Indeed! Those angels, those onlookers in the clouds, are like echoes of the divine approval Tiepolo seeks to portray here. That push and pull is present throughout the entire piece! It makes this more than just a historical snapshot of power. Curator: All these carefully chosen details, layered one atop the other, become a spectacle that's also unnerving, unsettling even. Editor: The symbolism is inescapable, like a shadow you can't quite shake, yet with technique as masterfully executed as Tiepolo’s, that kind of artistic tension is thought-provoking. Curator: I will definitely think twice the next time I encounter a cherub, or a conquering horseman. Thanks for that!