Saint George and the Dragon c. 1500

Editor: Here we have Master MZ's "Saint George and the Dragon" from around 1500, rendered in ink as a woodcut or engraving. The linework feels incredibly dynamic. It looks like a climactic showdown—but is it, really? What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: That's a wonderful question. What grabs me is this curious tension between the overtly heroic and something… unsettling. The story of Saint George, of course, is about triumph over evil. But here, George almost seems weighed down, doesn't he? The line work is intricate but almost claustrophobic; even the dragon looks less monstrous and more…woebegone, like a very sad, large dog. And that fallen lance—the discarded weapon lying there! Have you ever felt, despite doing what's expected of you, a lingering sense of disquiet, that something's just *off*? Editor: That's a really interesting read! I guess I was so caught up in the action that I didn't consider the ambiguity. Curator: Medieval art often presented these layered meanings, I find. This image is, in a sense, deeply self-aware, challenging simple notions of good versus evil, perhaps commenting on the cost of heroism. And notice the princess observing from afar! She's witnessing this scene of alleged valor but, from that distance, seems uninvolved with, almost indifferent to the chaos. Do you suppose that indifference is telling? Editor: Wow, I never considered that angle! The composition seems to invite so many questions, and none of them have easy answers. The story feels secondary, maybe, to the exploration of internal conflicts. Curator: Precisely! It’s a print that, despite its seeming simplicity, insists on conversation, on questioning the very narratives we think we know. It has so much psychological depth! Editor: I will certainly never look at Saint George the same way again! Thanks!