The Cross c. 1500

Curator: This is "The Cross," a print made with watercolor around 1500 by an anonymous artist. Editor: It’s visually quite striking, the redness against the dark background gives it a powerful, almost stark quality. And it’s very graphic. I wonder what function it had? Curator: Given the medieval context, it most likely served a devotional purpose. Images like this, readily reproducible, would have aided individual worship, circulating not only sacred narratives, but theological symbols—the Cross itself being the central one here. Consider the floral flourishes. How do you interpret their placement and form? Editor: Well, their integration softens the visual impact of the stark red cross, infusing it with an earthly elegance that counteracts its rather blunt form. The interplay between severe geometry and organic forms is definitely intriguing from a formal perspective. It brings up a question. Would people use these during times of upheaval? As objects of devotion in private spaces or at sites of worship during times of war or religious conflict? Curator: Precisely! Medieval Europe experienced countless periods of social and religious instability. Visual aids such as prints provided easily accessible symbols that transcended language, and became invaluable in bolstering faith but also in forging common beliefs, solidifying identities. The prints thus became instruments in negotiating power. The artist clearly used linear forms to denote a complex set of historical issues, from a religious base to questions about the powers of dissemination. What does this form represent in relationship to those powers? Editor: Fascinating point. I had initially framed this piece according to its aesthetics, but you encourage thinking about its historical role, expanding on ways we could begin decoding how image distribution created a base for devotional, economic and military transactions during the Middle Ages. I’ll never view it in the same light. Curator: Understanding the symbology and distribution unveils additional ways of approaching and understanding the power this tiny art piece wields even to this day.