Saint Hilarion c. 15th century

Curator: Let's turn our attention to this print, "Saint Hilarion," an anonymous work housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's striking, almost like a dreamscape. The stark lines and simplified forms give it a powerful, otherworldly feeling. Curator: Exactly. You have the saint amidst stylized foliage, a stag, and what appears to be a hermitage in the distance. The imagery draws heavily from Christian iconography. Editor: That stag is fascinating. Its antlers practically mirror the architecture nearby. Could that be a symbolic reflection of Hilarion's spiritual sanctuary? Curator: Quite possibly. The stag could symbolize solitude and devotion, or perhaps his connection to nature. It really encapsulates the saint's ascetic life. Editor: I like how the landscape merges with the lettering; the image feels both sacred and wonderfully surreal. Curator: It really invites us to contemplate the enduring power of symbols and their shifting meanings across time. Editor: Indeed, and the enduring power of art to evoke our most primitive sensibilities.