Saint Anthony c. 16th century

Editor: Here we have an anonymous woodcut, "Saint Anthony." The stark contrasts really grab me. The figure looks so stoic amidst the chaos. What do you see in this piece? Curator: As a materialist, I'm interested in the means of production. The lines, so crudely cut, speak to a particular kind of labor, one that challenges traditional notions of artistic skill. Note how the image is integrated with the text. Editor: That’s interesting. I hadn't thought about the labor involved. Curator: Consider the social context. Who was consuming these images? What kind of devotional practice did they participate in, and how did this medium facilitate that? Editor: So, it's not just about the saint, but about the whole system of belief and production. I'll definitely look at prints differently now! Curator: Precisely. Examining the materiality reveals the social relationships embedded within the object itself.