Letter D c. 16th century

Curator: This intriguing piece, simply titled "Letter D," comes to us from an anonymous artist. The Harvard Art Museums house this graphic work. Editor: The stark contrast of black and white gives it such immediate visual punch; the letterform is so tangled and ornate. Curator: Indeed. The letter exists almost as a maze, which reminds me of illuminated manuscripts and the significance that even a single letter could hold in religious or political texts. Editor: I see the way the artist manipulates positive and negative space. The curves fight for dominance with rigid, geometric lines, disrupting the legibility of the letter. Curator: It's a compelling tension. The adornment, though beautiful, also perhaps hints at the ways symbols can be manipulated to obscure meaning, furthering agendas. Editor: The lack of a known date or artist lets the form itself speak volumes. Curator: Absolutely, it invites us to confront our assumptions and biases when we examine such a simple yet complex image.