Illustration II c. 1489

Curator: Here we have “Illustration II,” an anonymous piece held here at the Harvard Art Museums. What's striking to you about this image? Editor: The rough texture, the stark lines… it feels almost brutal in its simplicity. I imagine the block it was carved from was quite worn. Curator: Indeed. The image itself portrays the Nativity. Consider the socio-political implications here: a scene of profound religious significance rendered with such… raw, unrefined materiality. Editor: It challenges the romanticized notions of divine birth. It grounds the sacred in the everyday labor of image-making, reminding us of the hands that shaped our perceptions of such events. Curator: Absolutely. It reminds us that even the most elevated narratives are constructed, molded from the materials at hand. Editor: A fascinating intersection of faith, labor, and the very substance of art.