“It not only grabs my attention and pulls me into this alternate reality, but it plays very much with issues that I find threatening.”
Curator Kurt Behrendt on a painting of Mahakala, Protector of the Tent (ca. 1500).
The Dark Lord
Kurt Behrendt
2 min. watch
Contributors
Kurt Behrendt
Associate Curator, Department of Asian Art
Associate Curator, Department of Asian Art
Photography by Eileen Travell
Selected tracks provided by APM Music
Art Mentioned
Central Tibet
ca. 1500
More from The Met
This small plaque of Mark the Evangelist, represented by a lion holding a book between its wings, stands for many stories that illustrate facets of medieval Christian faith.
Guadalupe Nettel
October 8
An encounter with an ancient devotional figure reminds us that images can stand in for people.
Adam Eaker
October 6
A roundtable discussion explores gender presentation, the history of fashion, and mockery in medieval depictions of Saint Jerome.
Nancy Thebaut, Jesse Darling, Ayla Lepine, and Clovis Maillet
March 24
More in:Religion and Spirituality