Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter 1482

Curator: Here we have Pietro Perugino’s fresco, "Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter," created around 1482, which you'll find in the Sistine Chapel. Editor: It’s surprisingly...geometric. The stark orthogonals of the paving clash strangely with the soft, almost sentimental figures. And is that the Florence Baptistery looming in the background? Curator: Quite right, that's almost certainly an idealized depiction of it. We can read this composition as an explicit declaration of papal authority. The handing over of the keys is, of course, symbolic, and was originally commissioned during the conflict between papal power and conciliarism. What is fascinating is Perugino's specific rendering of pictorial space and architectural setting. The perspective draws the eye deep into the image, guiding it towards that centralized temple structure and drawing out narrative potential in a stage-like setting. Editor: While the architectural setting seems crucial here in establishing order, there's still an odd tension. The figures almost appear pasted onto the foreground. There’s not an engagement, formally, between that immediate moment of transaction and its environment. I am curious, what sort of labor arrangements made the production of this fresco even possible, and who are the figures placed in the background? I am quite intrigued that people are standing along and even interacting in that backdrop architecture that looms quite tall above all subjects here. Curator: Indeed, and there's a curious blend of realism and idealism in the figures' faces. What looks at first to be simple figuration holds subtle depth. It is remarkable, though, considering the socio-economic elements needed to execute a fresco in this chapel on this scale during that time. It surely demanded workshops of skilled artists laboring together under one master. Editor: Ultimately, a successful synthesis of visual language for an expression of power during that era! Curator: I concur. The very material presence of the fresco declares this. The careful distribution of color creates rhythm and provides us with great insights to the art-making context.