Illustration XXII c. 1489

Editor: This is "Illustration XXII," an anonymous artwork at the Harvard Art Museums. It looks like a woodcut with hand coloring, showing the crucifixion surrounded by text. The scene feels very immediate and raw, almost like a newsprint image. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a powerful indictment of power structures embedded in religious narratives. Consider the historical context. Who commissioned this? Who was the intended audience? Was this image used to reinforce or to question established hierarchies? The graphic quality, the seemingly crude lines, allows us to consider the piece as a form of early protest art, challenging viewers to confront uncomfortable truths. Editor: So you're saying the visual style itself is a kind of statement? Curator: Exactly! How does the artist use the limitations of the medium to amplify the message? The stark contrast, the emotional expressions...it all serves to undermine the traditional glorification of the crucifixion, instead highlighting the suffering and injustice. Editor: I hadn't considered it as a form of protest, but now I see how the rawness and the context combine to create a very different message. Curator: Precisely, and that is how we view art with a contemporary activist lens.