Saint Bartholomew c. 16th century

Editor: Here we have Lucas Cranach the Elder’s Saint Bartholomew, a print held at the Harvard Art Museums. The figure is so striking, and seems to be holding…his own skin? What historical narratives can we unpack here? Curator: Indeed. Bartholomew, traditionally flayed alive, becomes a symbol of radical vulnerability, but also of resistance. Consider the power dynamics at play: the saint, stripped bare, confronts the viewer, challenging societal norms and the very notion of martyrdom as passive suffering. Editor: So it's about reclaiming agency? Curator: Precisely. How does Cranach's portrayal, within the context of the Reformation, potentially critique the established church's control over the body and the spirit? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. Seeing it as an active statement against institutional power changes everything. Curator: It's a powerful reminder that art can challenge, provoke, and offer new ways of understanding history and ourselves. Editor: Absolutely. I'll never look at Saint Bartholomew the same way again.