Christ Healing the Lame Man c. 15th century

Curator: This piece, held at the Harvard Art Museums, is titled "Christ Healing the Lame Man" by an anonymous artist. Editor: The starkness of the black lines against the white is so direct, it's like a visual shout of immediacy. Curator: Indeed, the woodcut's visual language speaks to a collective understanding of the miraculous. Look at how the city in the background is almost secondary, stylized into symbolic form, dominated by Christ. Editor: And those flower-like shapes scattered around—are those meant to suggest nature blooming forth with healing? Curator: Precisely. They could represent an Eden-like return to wholeness or even the miraculous growth associated with divine intervention. Editor: It's a fascinating blend of simplicity and symbolic weight. A visual sermon, almost. Curator: Exactly, a testament to how symbols shape our understanding of faith and healing. Editor: Yes, art as a window into belief.