The Vision of Saint Francis, kneeling at right, receiving the Christ child from the Virgin Mary 1617 - 1620

Curator: This is an engraving by Michel Lasne, made between 1617 and 1620. It's titled "The Vision of Saint Francis, kneeling at right, receiving the Christ child from the Virgin Mary". Editor: My first thought is just how dynamic it feels, especially for an engraving. The rays of light really pull your eye upward through the scene. The poses also suggest movement despite the static nature of the medium. Curator: The figure of St. Francis is particularly compelling. Lasne captures him kneeling in awe, receiving the Christ Child directly from the Virgin Mary. We often see St. Francis depicted with symbols of the stigmata, yet here, his moment of profound spiritual connection is emphasized instead. Editor: It’s striking how this image attempts to humanize these figures. Francis looks less like a distant saint and more like a working-class man deeply moved by this experience. What social messaging do you think images like this were trying to send? Curator: Religious iconography was, after all, a means of shaping the social consciousness. The image acts as an example of humility, as seen through St. Francis. There is also an implication of divine intervention and grace as the path to individual salvation. Note the angels in the clouds, figures traditionally associated with divine communication and protection, watching over them. Editor: Right, and by depicting this very human exchange, it creates a relatable framework for piety, doesn’t it? This work moves away from depictions of opulence within the Church, a clear turn toward direct engagement with the divine for a broader population. It serves to illustrate, quite literally, a connection to something greater than the individual experience. Curator: Absolutely. Lasne is invoking not just the historical narrative of Saint Francis, but also a message about the individual's potential for accessing divine love and grace directly. Editor: Thinking about Lasne's "Vision of Saint Francis" has me pondering what access to the divine looks like now. Do we see examples of connection in contemporary art? Curator: Perhaps artists are today more concerned with showing what breaks us from achieving that connection: the things that come between us and whatever sense of "divine" we can still conjure.