Illustration XXIX c. 15th century

Editor: This is Illustration XXIX, by an anonymous artist. It appears to be a woodcut or engraving. The stark black and white and the somewhat crude lines create a powerful, if unsettling, image. What strikes you most about its formal qualities? Curator: Note the contrasting textures: the meticulous rendering of the figure's beard against the flat planes of the city walls. How does that visual tension affect our reading of the scene? Editor: It emphasizes the figure’s isolation, I think. Curator: Precisely. And consider the composition: the figure positioned asymmetrically, drawing the eye around the picture plane. These intentional choices contribute to the image's overall symbolic structure. It's been enlightening to revisit the piece this way. Editor: I agree. I'll definitely look more closely at composition now.