Pythagoras Emerging from the Underworld 1662

Editor: Salvator Rosa’s “Pythagoras Emerging from the Underworld,” painted in 1662 with oil on canvas, feels incredibly dramatic. The figures' reactions range from horror to curiosity. What do you see in this piece beyond the initial shock? Curator: Rosa places Pythagoras within a highly charged historical and philosophical context. This isn’t just mythology; it's a commentary on the role of the intellectual in society, emerging, quite literally, from the darkness of ignorance. Notice how the figures closest to Pythagoras react with fear and awe, while those further back are obscured, almost complicit in their distance. How might we interpret their different levels of engagement? Editor: So, you're saying the painting isn't just illustrating a story, but also making a point about knowledge and its reception? I guess the different reactions are the point of the painting. Curator: Precisely. Rosa lived in a time of great upheaval. Thinking about his baroque style, consider the socio-political landscape. How might Rosa be using Pythagoras, a symbol of ancient wisdom, to comment on the tumultuous world around him? It makes us think about our current landscape of belief, knowledge, and the fight to remain willfully blind. Editor: I didn't consider Rosa's context, but that makes so much sense now. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure! By connecting Rosa's world with our own, hopefully we've helped unearth a bit of this painting's power, one that can hopefully lead us toward enlightenment, just like Pythagoras intended.