St. Anthony Visiting St. Paul the Hermit in the Desert (detail) 1516

This panel, made around 1512-1516 by Matthias Grünewald, captures a meeting of hermits in the desert, drawing us into their stark existence. Note the figure of Saint Paul, his body draped with woven plant material, a symbol of his ascetic devotion. But it is his raised hand, with its strangely elongated fingers, that demands our attention. The gesture is not merely a depiction of benediction; it echoes across centuries, a vestige of ancient invocations to the heavens. Consider the orant pose found in early Christian catacombs—figures with arms raised in prayer, a primal expression of supplication. Grünewald’s Saint Paul revives this ancient posture, yet imbues it with a haunted quality. The hand, so prominently displayed, acts as a channel, perhaps a plea for divine intervention, or an acknowledgement of forces unseen. It stirs deep within us, engaging subconscious layers of fear and hope. The image’s power resides in this timelessness—the ability of a simple gesture to resonate with the archaic, persisting anxieties of the human spirit.