Maria und Elisabeth mit dem Jesuskind und dem Johannesknaben 

Editor: Here we have "Maria und Elisabeth mit dem Jesuskind und dem Johannesknaben," a pencil drawing on paper by Simone Cantarini, housed right here at the Städel Museum. There’s a lightness to the image, almost a sketch-like quality, even though it depicts such an important religious scene. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Oh, absolutely, I’m drawn into the intimacy Cantarini creates, like catching a glimpse into a tender, domestic scene of divinity. He uses such delicate lines. See how the shading isn’t about perfect realism, but instead it creates a dreamlike glow around the figures? It makes me wonder what sort of light he imagined filling this sacred space. Editor: I do see that ethereal quality. But why do you think he chose such a seemingly informal style for such a...well, a divine moment? Curator: That's the delicious paradox, isn’t it? Baroque art often aimed for grandiosity, but Cantarini dials it back. Perhaps he’s inviting us to see the humanity *within* the divine. It’s like he is whispering: imagine the Virgin Mary as a real woman, full of love, gazing at her child. It feels like finding something utterly personal and fragile in something eternal and monumental, doesn't it? Editor: I guess that makes it a little more… relatable, more human. Curator: Precisely. Instead of a stiff, iconic representation, it's like witnessing a tender moment of maternal connection, rendered with a vulnerability that transcends religious doctrine. I'm leaving feeling as if I’ve had a peek into someone's cherished memory. Editor: This definitely shifted my perspective. I went in thinking sketch, but I'm leaving thinking vulnerability. Thank you.