Saint Leo (Pope Leo IX) 1516 - 1518

Editor: Here we have "Saint Leo (Pope Leo IX)," a woodcut print created between 1516 and 1518 by Leonhard Beck. It's strikingly detailed despite being a print, and there’s almost a hushed quality to the scene – like we’re intruding on a very private moment. What catches your eye in this piece? Curator: Well, it’s funny you mention that hushed quality. For me, it’s more like a stage setting! Beck’s rendered this…this "Sanctus Leo papa" like a scene plucked right out of a dream – or maybe even a carefully crafted piece of papal PR! Notice how St. Leo is positioned—aloof, almost, while some figure languishes in bed? A very theatrical power dynamic! Don't you find yourself wondering about the relationship between those two? Editor: I do, actually! It’s like a very formal sick visit. Almost staged, as you said! Curator: Exactly! The rigidity in his robes against the domestic intimacy of the bedchamber! Then there’s that papal coat of arms plastered on the wall, like a director's credit on the scene. Is this less about divinity and more about dynasty? Beck seems to be playing with those ideas simultaneously, which for me makes the work sing. How does that perspective sit with you? Editor: That makes a lot of sense. It’s a blend of the sacred and…well, almost propaganda. I definitely see how the setting can make it feel performative and much more powerful, considering the audience this was made for. Thanks! Curator: Precisely! We enter with certain expectations about devotional images, and Beck cleverly turns them on their head, planting a seed of subtle commentary while seemingly playing to the era’s ideals. It’s quite the visual tightrope walk, isn't it?