Illustration XXXVI c. 16th century

Editor: This is Illustration XXXVI, by an anonymous artist. It looks like a woodcut, very graphic with stark lines. It feels like a scene from a play, all very staged. What story do you think it's telling? Curator: Considering the figures and the city labeled "Carthago", this likely depicts a scene from Virgil's Aeneid. Notice how Aeneas is peering out from the right? It's interesting to consider the male gaze present, especially given the prominence of Dido and her attendants. How does this image position female power within a patriarchal narrative? Editor: So, it's less about a literal depiction and more about exploring gender roles and power dynamics within the story itself? Curator: Precisely. The anonymous artist is using visual cues to comment on the relationship between the sexes and the predetermination of fate in classical literature. Editor: That gives me a lot to think about. Seeing it that way really changes my perspective. Curator: Absolutely. Art is always in conversation with the world around it.