Pentecost c. 17th century

Curator: This drawing is by Peter Paul Rubens, titled Pentecost, and currently resides in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Immediately, one perceives the dynamic use of line, the way it conveys both the ethereal and the corporeal with such energy. Curator: Indeed. Rubens masterfully employs chiaroscuro, contrasting light and shadow to heighten the drama of the descent of the Holy Spirit. We see it manifest as a dove, positioned at the vanishing point. The gaze of the figures is drawn towards it. Editor: Note the arrangement, though. Most of the figures are White, which constructs a very specific and exclusionary narrative. The work, in that sense, becomes a testament to the historical elisions in biblical art. Curator: I appreciate your point, but I think we can also look at the materiality. The sepia ink wash on paper lends the image a sense of immediacy, almost as if capturing a fleeting vision. It emphasizes the raw emotion, wouldn't you say? Editor: I concede the emotion is palpable, but it's crucial to acknowledge whose emotions are centered and whose are marginalized. That's what the formal composition allows. Curator: It has certainly given me a lot to consider. Editor: As it has me.