Saint George c. 1475

Editor: Here we have Saint George, a print from around 1475, rendered in pen and ink. It’s pretty small but so detailed. I'm struck by how the artist captured so much action with such simple means. What jumps out at you about this piece? Curator: The most compelling aspect to me is how this relatively humble print – the product of pen, ink, and likely rudimentary printing technology – embodies the socio-political currents of its time. Editor: Could you expand on that? Curator: Absolutely. Consider the labor involved: the grinding of pigments for ink, the preparation of the paper, the skill required for the fine linework, and then the eventual distribution of the print itself. The story isn’t just Saint George slaying the dragon; it's also about the democratization of imagery through printmaking. What does mass production do for, and against, iconographic narrative? Editor: So, it's not just about the religious symbolism, but about access and dissemination? Curator: Precisely! How does the availability of this image shape perceptions of religious narratives? And think about the markets this print may have reached: different socioeconomic strata, perhaps fueling both religious devotion and nascent nationalist sentiments. The materiality literally embeds itself in the social fabric. Editor: That’s fascinating! I hadn't thought about the socio-economic implications of printmaking in that way before. Thanks! Curator: It all comes back to how the artwork comes to be; by asking who makes the work, for what reasons, and who is its intended audience, then the historical moment comes into view.