Pieta, with Saints Francis, Roch, and Third Male Saint n.d.

Curator: Here we have a drawing whose authorship remains a mystery, entitled “Pieta, with Saints Francis, Roch, and Third Male Saint.” The artwork resides here at The Art Institute of Chicago, though the date of its creation remains unknown. What are your initial impressions of it? Editor: Wow, my gut reaction is this drawing pulls me into a world of sorrow, but there is a strangely serene quality to it. Almost like witnessing grief through a veil. The monochromatic palette makes it feel both ancient and immediate, doesn’t it? Curator: The scene is dominated by a classical, Renaissance-esque figuration that echoes similar works of the period; most likely a reflection on religion, class struggle, and gender in Early Modern Europe. The artist skillfully uses chiaroscuro, to give form to grief. Editor: Yes, that contrast—the stark lights and shadows—amplifies the emotion tenfold. See how Christ's limp body seems to float against those billowing clouds? Almost as if the human world and the heavens are bleeding into one another in shared pain. Curator: Precisely. The presence of Saint Francis, Roch and the third unidentified Saint alludes to the narrative function art played in the Renaissance to communicate communal trauma and deliver theological perspectives concerning suffering, sacrifice and salvation to the faithful. Editor: Interesting how even the architecture framing the clouds seems to mourn! But that little dog down there by St. Roch... that almost feels like a ray of light in all this sorrow, a quiet testament to companionship in the face of anguish. I wonder what that says about resilience. Curator: Absolutely. Dogs are symbols of loyalty. We must consider not just religious, but secular and vernacular experiences of that period as well. How does it connect to our modern understanding of human resilience across various political landscapes and personal circumstances? Editor: These characters make you question so much; this piece of art offers something different each time, which, after all, might be what matters the most. Curator: Indeed, and in doing so, it reflects the very best purposes of the cultural institution where it is held; we keep our past and try to discover more with the passage of time. Editor: So well said. Let’s wander to the next artwork; who knows what secrets we will discover together next?