Illustration III c. 15th century

Curator: Here we have "Illustration III" by an anonymous artist, held at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s a rather striking woodcut, isn’t it? Editor: Indeed. The immediate impact is of stark contrasts. The figures and architectural forms are built from tightly packed parallel lines, aren't they? Curator: Precisely. Note how the artist uses varying densities to create depth and shadow, a sort of graphic language. It's a medieval syntax. Editor: I'm drawn to the labor involved. Imagine carving this level of detail into wood! The repetitive, almost meditative act, shapes the very content of the image. Curator: You see that reflected in the subjects—figures seemingly caught in an act of conveyance, maybe commerce against an abstracted cityscape. There is a symbolic suggestion. Editor: Perhaps, but I see the hand of the artisan as the true content. The wood itself, transformed by labor, becomes the ultimate signifier of meaning. Curator: An interesting perspective. I’ll be pondering that transformation in subsequent considerations. Editor: Me too.