Madonna and Child 

Curator: The sheer mass of drapery gives an immediate gravity to Verrocchio's "Madonna and Child". It feels… grounded, despite its aspiration to the divine. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Striking, mainly, by the rendering of the faces. The child seems almost… carved from ivory. One wonders about the process; building up layers of paint to such luminous effect with oil-paint. What type of brushstrokes can we observe? Curator: Yes, let’s consider process, as it is Verrocchio after all. Remember he also was a renowned sculptor and goldsmith, that level of detail. He almost seems to treat oil paint with the precision of metalwork, doesn’t he? What the figures embody. But tell me about that. The piece feels quite grounded to me, especially the gaze, so serene. Editor: Indeed. The Madonna, she transcends her material rendering through those knowing, human eyes, becoming, somehow more, I do, however, still fixate upon the luxuriousness, and one can really trace consumption through the textures that he manages to convey. Curator: Verrocchio clearly understood how material creates meaning. The soft folds contrast with a structured architecture, implying luxury, and echoing her regality. You know I always think about this, it's almost like a stage setting, where the world almost literally supports the foreground for this symbolic act, just on the precipice. The background does that a lot, wouldn't you say? Editor: Yes, the architecture in the background and even in the Madonna's clothing certainly elevates the act, not even the touch, which feels cold and austere and the opposite of, say, carnavalesque abundance that defines her through material wealth, as you were stating. The question I am grappling with right now is what those buildings cost in the background? Curator: Always coming back to material... which is fascinating, since that is not commonly asked by visitors! But isn’t that what this piece ultimately inspires, a feeling that shifts from tangible objects to more, symbolic considerations. Editor: In the end, isn't everything material, and it would be the end for all the pieces in this exhibition for sure. Curator: Always! Thank you, truly appreciate it, I always admire the level of thinking that material analysis has!