Man-Eater c. 16th century

Editor: Here we have Lucas Cranach the Elder’s woodcut, Man-Eater. It’s… pretty gruesome! What strikes you most about this disturbing image? Curator: Well, isn't it a marvel how Cranach uses this stark, almost folksy style to depict something so utterly monstrous? It's like a fairy tale gone horribly wrong, a nightmare dressed in woodcuts. Editor: A nightmare, definitely. I didn’t expect this from Cranach. What’s the story here? Curator: It's a cautionary tale, no doubt. Cranach was a master of visual rhetoric. He uses the stark contrasts and intricate details to create a scene that's both horrifying and strangely compelling. Do you think it comments on social anxieties? Editor: I can see that. I didn’t quite see all that at first glance. Curator: Sometimes, the most unsettling art teaches us the most, right?