Ein new getruckt model Büchli...Page 11, verso 1529

Curator: Looking at this image, I'm immediately sucked into a kind of dizzying optical illusion—it's a whirlwind for the eyes, yet there's a sense of deep calm and quietness as I keep watching. Editor: Yes, there's an undeniable allure. This page comes from Johann Schönsperger the Younger's "Ein new getruckt model Büchli," printed in 1529. The technique is a woodcut. You see two nearly identical geometric patterns, like two sisters almost, stacked one atop the other. Curator: Sisters doing geometry! I can dig it. But really, it feels older somehow. A little primal maybe? Like looking into a meticulously ordered cosmos… Or even textile, the work somehow gives a rich tactile feel. It makes you want to touch and know the texture. Editor: The meticulousness is key. Schönsperger’s background was in printing for sumptuary culture, essentially a Northern Renaissance trend where books contained models for lacemakers and embroiderers. Consider that each tiny mark had to be individually carved. The structure provides a certain depth. Curator: Knowing that, I feel like I'm looking into somebody's dreams or aspirations… Someone wanting to reach that kind of flawless order. How do you see such tight geometric abstraction fitting into the culture of the 16th century? Editor: It's both functional and beautiful. This wasn't necessarily intended as “high art” but as a practical guide. You have this explosion of geometric interest coinciding with advances in math, science, and technology during the Renaissance. Pattern books became increasingly popular for both personal enrichment and professional development. Curator: A very useful tool. So, looking at this piece then, what do you walk away thinking? Editor: I'm left considering how what might seem merely ornamental is instead integral. I find it curious that this image can exist as purely intellectual and, as you were implying earlier, emotionally resonant. Curator: Agreed. It's those tensions that makes it stay with you, isn't it? Seeing the seeds of potential elegance in even the strictest, most functional forms… And perhaps even being inspired to pull them out and share them, using that elegance.