St Louis 

Editor: This is “St Louis” by Pietro Lorenzetti, a fresco. It looks like it's starting to degrade a bit but you can still see this very calm and regal figure, perhaps a king or a saint, holding a book and a scepter. The material seems earthy, grounding it somehow. What’s your take on it? Curator: What immediately strikes me is the fresco technique itself. Fresco, meaning 'fresh' in Italian, involved applying pigment to wet plaster. Think about the labor involved: the swift application, the collaborative aspect of preparing the wall. How does the choice of fresco, a public art form often commissioned by wealthy patrons, influence the perception of Saint Louis? Was this image about devotion, or more about solidifying social status? Editor: That's interesting; I hadn't considered that. So the fact that it's a fresco speaks to power and resources? I was thinking about how his clothing looks like a costume that restricts his movement... does that have any significance too? Curator: Absolutely. The material trappings signal wealth and authority. The layering of garments, the gold detailing, but also think about where these materials come from, the trade routes, the labor of creating these fabrics. The production of pigment, the mining of metals - this is not just a holy image but a material record of Late Medieval industry and exchange. We're really looking at more than piety here. It shows how resources become signs of holiness. Editor: So by understanding the materials and labor behind the art, we understand more about the society that produced it and how it really represents those ideals. That’s not something I had thought about. Curator: Precisely! And those diamond shapes enclosing the image really highlight the gem trade and consumer society starting to arise at that time too. It brings an earthy sense to even spiritual iconography.