Baptism n.d.

Permiliano's Baptism, a small drawing at the Art Institute of Chicago, captures a pivotal moment in the Christian narrative, focusing on the ritual act of baptism. In this image, water is the dominant symbol, representing purification, renewal, and the washing away of sins. The motif of baptism extends far beyond this single scene. Consider its echoes in ancient Egyptian purification rites or the ablutions practiced in Islamic tradition. Even the pre-Christian Roman practice of ritual bathing shares this sense of spiritual cleansing. Water, therefore, functions as a symbol of transformation, a visual metaphor for the shedding of the old self and the emergence of the new. The emotional and psychological weight of this act is profound; the submerged figure represents a vulnerability. This moment of submersion touches upon our collective memory, our subconscious understanding of life's cyclical nature. The symbols of water and rebirth engage viewers on a deep, subconscious level. This cyclical progression of symbolism is not linear but rhizomatic. The image of baptism resurfaces, evolves, and takes on new meanings, forever bound to our primal understanding of water as both a destructive and life-giving force.