Illustration from Adelphi, The Brothers c. 16th century

Editor: Here we have an anonymous Illustration from Adelphi, The Brothers, from the Harvard Art Museums. The stark lines and simple composition give it a really direct, almost blunt feel. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, this likely originated in a printed book. I'm drawn to the labor involved in carving those lines into a woodblock, the repetitive gestures that mirror the repetitive nature of early book production. Editor: That's interesting, how the physical making relates to the content. Curator: Exactly. Consider too how the printing process democratized access to images and stories. What do you think that meant for society at the time? Editor: I never considered the broader implications like that; I'll have to research that further. Curator: Indeed, thinking about art as a product of material and social conditions opens up a whole new avenue for interpretation.