Ecce Homo c. 17th century

Editor: This is Matthäus Küsel's "Ecce Homo," housed here at Harvard. The overwhelming feeling I get is sorrow – the crown of thorns, the tears… What do you see in this piece? Curator: It whispers of divine suffering, doesn’t it? The swirling lines behind Christ suggest a kind of radiant torment. I imagine Küsel grappling with how to visualize immense spiritual anguish. It's less about accurate representation, more about evoking visceral emotion. Editor: So, it's the artist's interpretation of pain, rather than a purely religious statement? Curator: Precisely! It’s a meditation. I find myself pondering on the sheer human capacity for empathy when viewing this. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Art is best when it makes us think, right?