Finding of Moses n.d.

Curator: Today, we're looking at a drawing called "Finding of Moses," attributed to Antonio Molinari. It's currently housed here at the Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: It feels wonderfully immediate. Not exactly finished, but rather, capturing the energy of creation itself. It's primarily red chalk, I see. A flurry of figures unfolding before us. Curator: Molinari used pen, ink, and chalk on paper to depict the biblical scene. What strikes you about his choice of materials? Editor: The layering! The drawing utilizes a mixed media approach which is perfect for revealing how value and texture is communicated through relatively simple, cheap materials, if you compare this paper, chalk, and ink with say marble or oil paint. Curator: It's a study in motion and emotion. Note the swirl of bodies and the concentration of eyes on the central infant figure, but also how the narrative engages with history, especially in the fashion of the women. What does it evoke in you? Editor: It's interesting to me how we are given such fleeting detail, with an abundance of bare figures, and an almost aggressive roughness. How Molinari must have had no problems getting materials during a historical setting with such economic troubles as early modernity Europe. Curator: I think there's a certain boldness, a rawness that is quite arresting. To render such a significant biblical moment in these raw, preliminary materials adds a level of emotional sincerity, maybe vulnerability, to it. It speaks to the heart. Editor: Right, so, it’s like Molinari here wanted to bring it back to how art is primarily based upon how and what you make. How each material possesses a cultural background beyond representation. And even now it does for all sorts of contemporary audiences. Curator: It's a profound illustration of a pivotal moment, captured with captivating candor. Makes me think, art at its best captures the story being told and retold over countless generations. Editor: Precisely! It reminds us that even apparent simplicity, when paired with intention, allows the material to transcend and engage.