St. Bartholomew, plate 6 from The Twelve Apostles 1545

Curator: I am immediately struck by the weightiness of this small engraving; Bartholomew, illuminated by the radiant halo, feels as solid as those carefully rendered stone blocks he stands upon. Editor: Indeed. What we're looking at is "St. Bartholomew, plate 6 from The Twelve Apostles", created by Sebald Beham in 1545. It’s an engraving on paper, showcasing the artist’s remarkable skill with line and form. The Art Institute of Chicago currently holds this compelling print. The engraving process itself interests me; the sheer labor that is dedicated in carefully etching into a copper plate and inking to allow its reproduction is a powerful demonstration of late Medieval period work and devotion. Curator: The sword looming behind his head – brutal! I feel the threat even though Bartholomew is so somber, grounded, his hand almost delicately lifting his robe, or maybe shielding us? The gesture's complex; is it invitation or defense? Editor: The choice of engraving as a medium, rather than painting for example, signals a shift in accessibility and the burgeoning market for art at this time. Prints allowed for wider distribution of images, facilitating the spread of religious and political ideas across broader societal segments, not to mention to less affluent populations. Curator: A bit of subversive, democratic artmaking? I dig that, even in this tiny format! Thinking about who gets to access and engage with sacred stories shifts the feel of the whole piece. Not some grandiose statement locked in a church; instead, you could own Bartholomew in your home! That’s almost punk, for the 16th Century. Editor: Absolutely. Consider the role of the printing press and its impact on religious iconography. The production of these Apostles series for distribution underscores evolving attitudes towards the church, dissemination of information, and the expanding scope and importance of material culture as the Renaissance advances in the north. It seems like Sebald Beham created accessible and affordable artworks for all! Curator: It’s powerful how examining materials, modes of production, can reshape what a viewer sees, feels even, in a static image. A humble print suddenly roars with revolution. I’ll never look at Bartholomew the same way. Editor: Analyzing artwork, after all, lies in questioning material production and its circulation through the history!