The Baptism of Christ 

Palma il Giovane created this drawing of “The Baptism of Christ” around the late 16th to early 17th century using pen and brown ink with brown wash over black chalk on brownish laid paper. The son of a painter and a member of a vibrant artistic community in Venice, Palma was poised to inherit a rich legacy of religious representation. In this sketch, John the Baptist is captured in the act of baptizing Jesus. Their near-nakedness emphasizes vulnerability, yet also implies the purity and renewal central to the sacrament. We might ask, what does it mean to portray these figures in such a state of undress? Was Palma challenging the traditional, more idealized depictions? Or was he, perhaps, trying to emphasize the humanity of these divine figures? The emotional intensity of the moment feels palpable. This drawing provides a window into the artist's process and invites us to reflect on the intersection of faith, identity, and artistic expression during the Counter-Reformation.