Elevation for a Catafalque Surmounted by an Obelisk. 1696 - 1756

Editor: This intricate line drawing, "Elevation for a Catafalque Surmounted by an Obelisk," attributed to Giuseppe Galli Bibiena and created sometime between 1696 and 1756, depicts what appears to be a monumental, ornate structure. It strikes me as quite imposing, almost overwhelming. What story does it tell you? Curator: Oh, what a delicious fantasy! Bibiena certainly knew how to orchestrate a visual spectacle, didn't he? It is a Baroque dream, this stage set for mourning, more theater than tomb. It whispers of power, perhaps even excess, designed to impress more than to invite reflection. Can you feel the weight of those cascading details, the sheer ambition of the form? Imagine this erected for some royal personage: a somber event transformed into a dizzying artistic triumph! Editor: It does feel very theatrical, almost like it's meant to evoke a specific emotion from the viewer. The obelisk piercing upwards is interesting too, what does that signify in the context of death and mourning? Curator: The obelisk acts as a visual exclamation point, thrusting toward the heavens, don’t you think? A claim of enduring legacy, an attempt to cheat death of its finality, perhaps? It's an incredibly assertive statement atop what is, after all, a monument to loss. What does the drawing, in monochrome, communicate for you? Does it change how you think of colour or painting in any way? Editor: I think it lets me really focus on the details and lines. I feel like I get a closer appreciation for the technical skill involved. This conversation really shifted my perspective from initially thinking of this work as solely about mourning to seeing the theatrical and political ambition embedded within. Curator: Exactly! We mourn, but, heavens, we also *perform* our mourning. Art holds so much beauty that can reflect so much to us.