Woman from Calabria 1810

Curator: This is Bartolomeo Pinelli's etching, "Woman from Calabria." It’s a delicate print, only about 15 by 12 centimeters, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's quite striking! The woman's gaze is so direct, and there’s a casualness in her posture that feels very modern. Curator: Pinelli, who lived from 1781 to 1835, created many images documenting Italian regional costumes and types. Here, he presents a woman in traditional Calabrian dress, complete with spindle and distaff. Editor: I wonder about the power dynamics at play. Was Pinelli simply documenting, or was he exoticizing? The woman's self-possession complicates any easy reading. Curator: It’s a tension inherent in much of this kind of imagery. Pinelli's work provides valuable visual records, but we must also consider the colonial gaze embedded within. Editor: Absolutely. Looking at her clothes closely, at the details of that woven fabric, I find myself wanting to know more about the realities of her life, and the women who made those clothes. Curator: A vital point. It's a reminder that art serves as a lens, but we must always question whose perspective shapes the view. Editor: Precisely! And in doing so, hopefully, we give voice back to those who were so often silenced in these representations.