Saint Charles giving communion to the plague-stricken 1725 - 1775

Editor: This is “Saint Charles giving communion to the plague-stricken” from sometime between 1725 and 1775, attributed to Carlo Innocenzo Carloni. It’s an ink and pen drawing, and the scene feels really dramatic. The figures are packed together, and there’s so much suffering. What symbolic language stands out to you in this work? Curator: Well, look at how Carloni has rendered Saint Charles. He's a beacon of order and authority amidst chaos, the staff acting as a signifier of divine blessing but consider its potential for physical distance—a very potent symbol of this plague. Notice the angels above, but their expressions seem muted, contemplative. This draws attention to how artists communicate larger narratives of faith, doubt, and hope using recognizable symbols. Editor: The way the bodies are sprawled on the ground is pretty stark, though. Curator: Yes. It’s a harrowing representation. It invokes the visual language of sacrifice, and powerlessness. Note the very specific gestures of the figures--the compassion or the abandonment--each a symbolic carrier, of their social position, emotional burden, and relationship to life, or imminent death. Consider, how we might read these images through the lens of our current relationship to pandemics? Editor: That’s true, it really does resonate with what we've experienced. It feels so much more human now. Curator: Indeed, Carlo Innocenzo Carloni makes these images serve as memory and warning. We can analyze its power, its symbolism of illness and faith across time. Editor: I definitely have a better understanding of this artwork’s themes and symbolic weight. Curator: Excellent, the plague provides insights to human behavior but the symbolism within reveals greater humanity.