Illustration from Brant, Navis Stultifera 15th-16th century

Curator: What a wonderfully strange scene! It’s like a dream… or perhaps a nightmare. The lines are so stark, and yet the composition has a bizarre sort of energy. Editor: This is an illustration from Brant's *Navis Stultifera*, or *Ship of Fools*, a late 15th-century satire. It critiques societal norms through the lens of folly, depicting various "fools" and their vices. Curator: Ah, that explains the central figure in the jester's hat! He definitely has a manic energy about him, doesn’t he? Like he's trying to pull us into his world of absurdity. Editor: Exactly! The anonymous artist uses the woodcut medium effectively to convey the chaos and moral decay Brant critiques. Note how the architectural setting almost leans in on the figures. Curator: It feels like a stage, doesn't it? We’re all players in this comedy – or tragedy – of errors. Perhaps that's why it resonates even today; we’re all a little foolish sometimes. Editor: Indeed, the work taps into the timeless human condition, inviting us to reflect on our own follies and the societal structures that perpetuate them. The critique lives on!