The Apostles Peter and John c. 1530

Curator: Standing before us is “The Apostles Peter and John,” a chiaroscuro woodcut print dating to around 1530, created by Ugo da Carpi and housed here at the Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by how dynamic it is, considering its age and the limitations of the medium. There's a real sense of movement and urgency in their gestures. And this brown ink on paper looks very delicate! Curator: It certainly has an arresting quality. Chiaroscuro woodcuts, like this one, allowed artists to achieve tonal gradations through layered blocks, mimicking the effect of drawings in ink on toned paper. We can certainly trace those artistic experiments to religious images that try to make those figures powerful, even divine. Editor: Yes, and I find it interesting that Da Carpi chooses this specific moment—Peter clutching his chest, John gesturing outwards—rather than a more static image of pious devotion. One almost senses that the material act of printing these images, producing multiples to circulate and be handled, brought something a bit profane into this representation of faith. Curator: I see your point, but that profanity becomes the power of spreading God's words to everyone. What do you think of that architectural column? Is it a pillar or a cage where their faith emerges? Editor: Well, from my point of view, I think is the way Ugo used materials—engraving a physical matrix repeatedly that allows viewers from then and today to access that kind of personal spiritual connection that we still share, no matter our social background. Curator: That's a compelling interpretation, connecting the physical act of creation with accessibility of spiritual meaning. It reflects, perhaps, the ongoing tension between artistic expression, faith, and how meanings have evolved and solidified through symbols, through materials, through labor, and now, even today, by these technologies to make art available. Editor: Exactly. I had not thought about that point about our technological means!