Biblical scene 1598 - 1669

Editor: So, here we have “Biblical Scene,” a pen and ink drawing on paper, made sometime between 1598 and 1669, attributed to Giovanni Andrea Ferrari. It strikes me as quite raw, almost unfinished in its depiction of a dramatic event. What’s your take on it? Curator: I'm immediately drawn to the physicality of the drawing itself. The ink, the paper - these materials represent labor, a decision to commit to a form. Think about the Renaissance workshop system; grinding pigments, preparing the paper. Consider also, how readily available and standardized those materials are, speaking to wider patterns of consumption in Ferrari’s time. What kind of social structures does that suggest, underpinning its creation? Editor: That's fascinating! I was so focused on the narrative. It’s about the biblical figures, and that implied story. Curator: Exactly, but we must remember that a patron likely commissioned this biblical scene. What kind of access would Ferrari and his workshop have to models, to the specific inks that yield that aged color we see now? These things tell us about the systems of power at play during production, right? Who controlled the access to those means of art production, in your opinion? Editor: Someone wealthy, most likely? Someone with influence… Someone with connections? Curator: Precisely. The lines, drawn with specific tools – even those speak to choices and limitations inherent in material existence, even under patronage. These details ground the "biblical scene" into the reality of its making. Do you feel this challenges our modern perceptions of that “high art” style in a meaningful way? Editor: I do. I was viewing this as art reflecting culture, but you are pushing me to examine it as art as material *of* culture! Thanks for a fresh way of reading artwork. Curator: Anytime. Thinking about art this way always uncovers exciting new paths of inquiry, isn’t it so?