David anointed by Samuel 1556 - 1634

Editor: This drawing, "David anointed by Samuel", probably dates between 1556 and 1634. It's currently housed at the SMK, the Statens Museum for Kunst. The piece is executed in charcoal, a sort of sepia toned vignette of a biblical scene. I am intrigued by the open central archway - is it creating depth or more of a psychological threshold, a moment before everything changes? What do you see in this piece, from your perspective? Curator: The doorway does lead the eye to further figures but I am mostly pulled to the figure with the jug, pouring what I assume to be the anointing oil upon the young David. Isn't it wonderful how just a few deft strokes can convey such weighty emotion? Consider that hat! What do you make of that detail, seemingly so ordinary in a scene of great import? Does it speak to any possible contemporary connections or contextual clues that might enrich the narrative, do you think? Editor: The hat, it certainly throws things off a bit. Is this perhaps an allegory then? I guess the question in my mind, too, is what does it tell us about the social commentary and its meaning as we decode the artist's perspective? Curator: Indeed. And what does this say about our own place within the grander scheme? What will history remember about *us*? About our quiet observations, perhaps? What stories do we anoint with our attention, or lack thereof? Editor: That is a question that might be unanswerable in the moment, but maybe these little vignettes offer clues and perhaps insights into history and art! Thank you! Curator: The pleasure was all mine. Let us keep those doors open for more discovery... for now, farewell!