San Giovanni Battista 1500

Curator: What strikes me first is his gaze, lifted almost yearning, beyond the frame. There’s such intense longing there. Editor: That's interesting, and what you're picking up on is, in fact, Lippi's *San Giovanni Battista,* executed around 1500 in oil paint. The subject here, of course, is John the Baptist. Note his ragged attire, traditional iconographic signifiers in a very interesting context. Curator: He feels almost spectral, like a whispered prayer manifested in ochre and rust. The colours are unexpectedly muted, almost earthy. What's fascinating is this odd feeling he’s giving off like he is almost disappearing back into whatever space or form birthed him in the first place. Editor: Precisely. The presentation of John the Baptist changed so much in the early Renaissance period. He often fulfilled a very complex, even somewhat paradoxical, socio-religious function. Here, he’s shown in the classic desert garb we would expect, yes, but with that said the details feel consciously heightened—an idealisation that elevates poverty almost. Curator: Idealization yes, but there's rawness too. See how the light catches on the edges of that red drapery – the almost violent, yet strangely comforting swathe that cuts through what feels like… nothingness. The colour, to me, symbolises how he feels about the whole story surrounding his character, there's a lot to live up to. Editor: That splash of red serves as a focal point but it's also the most overtly staged aspect of the painting, I think. Which of course is the point: by the time Lippi was making this painting, there was no wilderness outside Florence anymore. Piety had to be consciously performed in the increasingly sophisticated, highly mediated, theatre of the late Quattrocento. Curator: Perhaps that's why I am getting a sense of a bittersweet feeling and melancholy from his whole body language. Editor: It is melancholic indeed. The overall effect is one of intense devotion mixed with astute social messaging. A fantastic piece of art! Curator: It really is a haunting image, even when we see him reproduced centuries later. I leave here, pondering on it.