The Creed 1445 - 1475

Editor: So, this is "The Creed," dating from 1445 to 1475. It's an anonymous piece, made with tempera, ink, and likely printed. It almost reminds me of a medieval comic strip. All those little scenes… What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: Well, isn’t it like peering through a looking glass into another world? I love the way these little vignettes tell a grand narrative. They’re like frozen moments of a play, each tableau vibrating with its own silent drama. The whole thing hums with the otherworldly charm of illuminated manuscripts. Does that geometric rigidity ground all of those tiny tableaus? Editor: That makes sense! But it also looks almost…flat, despite the attempt at showing depth. Like the artist wasn't too concerned about realistic perspective. Curator: Precisely! This isn’t about photographic reality; it’s about symbolic representation. Think of those medieval maps where Jerusalem is always in the center, regardless of its geographical location. Reality is less about physical space and more about spiritual significance. Aren't we really transported from a depiction of reality into a symbolic meditation of faith? What about how, given its themes, it is being housed at the Met, removed from sacred function? Editor: That's such a different way to think about it. It really pushes you to consider the story being told and its significance. Thank you, I will never think of comic strips the same again! Curator: My pleasure! Perhaps art invites us not to see, but to glimpse—to momentarily perceive with different eyes, from a reality adjacent to our own!