St Cosmas and St Damian 1534

Editor: Here we have Dosso Dossi’s “St Cosmas and St Damian,” painted in 1534, rendered in oil. I am immediately struck by its somber tone and slightly odd grouping of figures. What’s your take on this work? Curator: This painting provides an opportunity to think critically about the role of saints and healing in the Renaissance, and to interrogate the socio-political implications of that power. Consider the figures' gazes: who holds power in their exchange? And who is excluded, literally and figuratively, from this act of healing? Editor: That's interesting. I hadn't really thought about power dynamics. It looks almost like the patient isn't part of the transaction at all! Curator: Exactly! We must examine how these visual representations contribute to broader narratives about gender, class, and access to health and spiritual well-being during this historical moment. Who was deemed worthy of care, and who was relegated to the margins? Consider the role of the female figure; where do you see her in the exchange of gazes or actions? Editor: She almost seems like she's simply witnessing, as though the exchange of power and agency lies elsewhere. But I see your point about considering who has access to power or influence, and perhaps also faith and medicine, at the time the work was made. Curator: Precisely. How does that limited access speak to what we might recognise today about the inequities in modern social systems? How does our critical engagement today provide tools for considering ethics around patient-physician interaction in our contemporary cultural landscape? Editor: I’m starting to look at this in a new light. The painting goes beyond a simple depiction of a miraculous event. I'm considering the socio-economic status of all the parties. Curator: Yes, it can reveal uncomfortable truths about societal structures then and now. Editor: I will keep those power dynamics in mind in the future. Curator: Likewise. Bringing that understanding with you allows you to unlock layers of history.