Letter M c. 16th century

Editor: Here we have an anonymous piece called "Letter M" from the Harvard Art Museums. It looks like a woodcut print. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a fascinating commentary on power structures embedded within seemingly innocuous forms like the alphabet. Note the grotesque mask integrated into the letter, a subtle critique, perhaps, of the performative aspects of authority and the hidden faces behind institutional language. Who benefits from this specific letter, and its historical usage? Editor: So you're saying even something as simple as a letter can have a political dimension? Curator: Absolutely. Consider how literacy itself has historically been a tool for both empowerment and oppression, dictating who has access to knowledge and influence. What stories are told, and whose stories are omitted? Editor: That makes me think differently about something I thought was just decorative. Curator: Precisely. Art invites us to question everything.