Letter G c. 1500

Curator: Here we have "Letter G" from an anonymous artist, held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's strikingly textural, almost vibrating with that contrast of white on black! Curator: Consider the implications of a single letter, isolated, as a work of art. How does this fragment speak to broader issues of literacy, class, and access to knowledge in its time? Editor: I'm drawn to the material process. The density of the dots suggests woodcut or engraving – a printing process that democratized textual information. Curator: Exactly! It serves as a potent reminder of how language and its dissemination shape cultural power dynamics. Editor: It’s a small piece, but thinking of the labor involved, and how it was used to spread ideas, the scale feels vast. Curator: A single letter, pregnant with meaning and historical weight. Editor: A testament to the power held in the simplest tools and symbols.