Herod Condemning Christ c. 15th century

Editor: This woodcut, "Herod Condemning Christ," is by an anonymous artist. It feels stark, almost theatrical. I'm curious, what jumps out at you when you look at this piece? Curator: The raw emotionality, almost like a medieval comic panel. Herod, enthroned, is the focal point, but his power feels… hollow? Look at the stark lines, the way the artist uses them to convey both drama and, oddly, a sense of folk art naivete. Editor: Folk art? Curator: Yes, it's a scene loaded with religious weight, but the execution has this…directness, a lack of polish that pulls it away from high artifice. Almost subversive, don't you think? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way, but I see what you mean. It’s both reverent and refreshingly… blunt. Curator: Precisely! Art is a conversation, after all.