Ex. 1 c. 16th century

Curator: Let's consider this print, "Ex. 1" by Hans Holbein the Younger, housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. There's no precise date available. Editor: It's stark, almost brutally so. The dense cross-hatching gives it a very immediate, tactile quality, and I can't help but notice the labor involved. Curator: It evokes a strong sense of historical context. How does the positioning of death and mourning connect with broader themes of mortality and faith in the 16th century? Think about the social narratives Holbein was engaging with. Editor: Right. The printmaking process itself, the meticulous carving, the reproduction... it democratizes the image, brings the discourse on death to a wider audience than, say, a commissioned painting. Curator: And what about the gendered aspects of mourning? The figures surrounding the body—how are they positioned within the narrative of loss and remembrance? Editor: Interesting point. I'm also thinking about how the materiality impacts our reading. The starkness forces us to confront the scene, the wood itself, in a way that feels very present. Curator: It is compelling how the work continues to push us toward thinking about the labor of making art and the narratives that works of art provide. Editor: Absolutely. This piece reminds us that art, even in its somber depictions, always reflects a complex interplay of materials, meanings, and social realities.