Architectural Fantasy with the Conversion of Saul (Saint Paul) 1620 - 1623

Editor: So, this oil painting is "Architectural Fantasy with the Conversion of Saul" by François de Nomé, dating from 1620 to 1623. It’s just so dramatic! All those crumbling buildings and the dark palette give this overwhelming feeling of chaos. What’s your take on this work? Curator: It strikes me as a stage set for the apocalypse, darling. Look how Nomé throws together classical ruins with this Baroque energy. And the tiny figures enacting the conversion – they’re almost swallowed by the architecture, aren't they? As if faith is born from the wreckage of empires. It is as if the world is ending, but something else, new and wonderful, might be born in the cataclysm. Does that resonate? Editor: Definitely! It’s like he’s saying the personal drama is just a small part of something much bigger. It feels like a set for a historical film, even! Curator: Exactly! This intersection of grand architecture and intensely personal experience is Baroque painting to a T. I also get a sense of almost childlike joy from De Nome in creating these imagined cities. Almost like he is constructing a sand castle in artistic form. How can one not feel this sense of creative liberation, like a dreamer having a visionary experience, when regarding the architecture, here? Editor: So true! It’s definitely gotten me thinking about the power of art to blend history and imagination. I didn’t quite catch that personal sense of the architecture at first. Thank you! Curator: And for me, that little touch of childlike wonder I felt from his rendering has truly revived my weary soul.