Thetis Dipping the Infant Achilles into the Waters of the Styx 1671 - 1749

Curator: Donato Creti’s ink drawing, "Thetis Dipping the Infant Achilles into the Waters of the Styx," dates from the late 17th to the mid-18th century. Editor: Oh, this has a raw, unfinished energy. The lines are so loose and fluid, it almost feels like catching a glimpse of a dream unfolding. Curator: The composition utilizes rapid, calligraphic strokes characteristic of Baroque art to create a sense of movement and drama, even within this relatively small-scale drawing. Note how the artist masterfully uses hatching and cross-hatching to suggest volume and depth. Editor: It's like the essence of the story is being distilled right before our eyes. The hesitancy in the line work mirrors the fraught, desperate act of Thetis, doesn’t it? Dunking your baby in a magical river – talk about risky parenting! Curator: Indeed. Semiotically, we see a clear emphasis on the figures themselves. Thetis’s pose, with the child held aloft, becomes the focal point, while the attending figures create a sense of theatrical space behind her, amplifying the central action. Editor: The ink creates a sense of timelessness too, somehow. Achilles, destined for greatness but also, inevitably, for tragedy. It’s all captured in these fleeting lines. Makes you wonder, what parts of ourselves do we try to protect, and at what cost? Curator: The materiality of the ink on paper also draws our attention to the intellectual process of the artist; Creti allows us access into the first steps in the development of this artwork. Editor: For me, it evokes the bittersweet reality that vulnerability and strength often come hand in hand, doesn’t it? Creti really hits you right in the gut, even in this sketch format! Curator: Yes, his use of the medium is very efficient, especially considering how monumental of a story he tells in such a small space. Editor: I agree; and with such evocative strokes he turns something so grand into something very fragile, very human.