The Glory of St. Bernardino 1486

Curator: Editor, the artwork before us is Pinturicchio's "The Glory of St. Bernardino," a tempera and fresco mural from 1486. What strikes you about it? Editor: It’s certainly grand. The layering of the figures, with the saint centrally placed, gives a sense of importance, but I'm drawn to the landscape behind him. It feels a little… unexpected for a religious scene. What do you see in this work beyond its immediate iconography? Curator: For me, it is a powerful document of artistic labor and the specific economic conditions of its creation. Tempera, and especially fresco, demand a skilled hand working directly on the support—the wall itself. Editor: Right, there’s no canvas intermediary here. Curator: Precisely. And look at the composition. The arrangement and choice of figures; do you notice the deliberate staging within a landscape? Editor: I do now that you point it out! How the clothing and landscape are painted, as a testament to labor and social standing, instead of it just being there for show. Curator: The garments depict how skilled artisans dedicated labor and attention to craft those intricate details of religious paintings that highlight luxury instead of religious focus. How much does the artist reveal— or conceal? It challenges notions about painting, labor and power dynamics. It also provides a space for both artist and patron in society during the Renaissance! Editor: That makes me appreciate the amount of work it represents so much more, but also question it. The relationship between patron and the painting feels… complicated now. Thanks for opening my eyes to a more political interpretation. Curator: Indeed. By examining the means of production, and social connections inherent to its creation, it prompts us to look beyond surface aesthetics.