Illustration LXXX c. 16th century

Editor: This is Illustration LXXX, an anonymous work. I’m drawn to the labor depicted – the herding, the farm life. What aspects stand out to you? Curator: The stark lines of the woodcut are so telling. Consider the accessibility of this medium, how it democratized image-making. The repeated lines suggest mass production, a narrative available for wide consumption. How might its function as a communicative tool affect its artistic merit? Editor: So, its value lies in its accessibility and the story it conveys, rather than the artist's individual skill? Curator: Precisely. The material and its social context inform the work's meaning. Editor: I see the value in understanding art through its production. Curator: Indeed, it reveals much about the society that created and consumed it.