Diana and Callisto c. 19th century

Curator: This is Carl Joseph Alois Agricola’s "Diana and Callisto", currently held in the Harvard Art Museums. Agricola offers a rendition of a pivotal moment from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Editor: Oh, it's got that dreamy, slightly unsettling vibe, right? Like a beautiful nightmare. The light is so soft, but the composition feels…charged. Curator: Indeed. The scene depicts Diana, goddess of the hunt and chastity, discovering Callisto's pregnancy, a consequence of her rape by Jupiter. We can see how Agricola uses the female nude to discuss the fraught relationship between power, sexuality, and vulnerability. Editor: It is pretty raw, isn't it? Makes you think about the gaze, who's looking, and what they're seeing—or choosing not to see. Agricola is making us complicit in this moment. Curator: Precisely, Agricola invites us to reflect on the power dynamics embedded within classical mythology. Editor: Leaves a chill, but you can’t look away.