Female Saint in Ecstasy c. 17th century

Curator: This is "Female Saint in Ecstasy," attributed to Carlo Francesco Nuvolone, a work currently residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The texture immediately strikes me—the raw canvas, the visible brushstrokes; it feels like a study of grief and fervor. Curator: Note how the composition directs our gaze. The figure is bathed in light, but observe how the artist uses chiaroscuro to emphasize the saint's upward gaze and beckoning hand. Editor: I wonder about the ground pigments used. The monochrome palette, almost sepia-toned, speaks to austerity, and I am curious about the layers of production involved to create such effects. Curator: The emotional intensity is further reinforced by the limited palette. Color, in its absence, directs us to the internal drama. Editor: It makes one reflect on the labor and materials – the cost of production and its accessibility in its time. Curator: Indeed, the formal elements work to elicit a very specific, powerful response, a profound engagement. Editor: Seeing it now, I also notice how the material choices lend to a lasting, tangible sense of the scene’s gravitas.