Letter R c. 16th century

Curator: This is "Letter R," an anonymous work held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It strikes me as so ornate! Like a letter from a faerie tale, all curls and secret faces. Curator: Precisely! Notice the structural interplay of the letterform with the mythological figure—a hybrid creature, half-woman, half-beast. The linear precision highlights a dialectic between order and imagination. Editor: It feels almost unsettling, this fusion. Is it beautiful or grotesque? Perhaps it’s both, a reflection on the duality inherent in creation itself, wouldn't you say? Curator: An interesting hypothesis; however, I would argue the focus is on form over emotional expression. The composition transcends such binary oppositions. Editor: Maybe, but I still feel a whisper of something wild in it. Curator: Indeed. A testament to the power of line and form.