Letter Q c. 16th century

Editor: This woodcut print, “Letter Q,” by an anonymous artist, depicts a wolf suckling children. What strikes me is the labor involved in such a detailed print. How was something like this produced, and what was its purpose? Curator: Well, consider the socio-economic context. The printing press democratized information, and these illustrated initials highlight the intersection of art and mass production. The labor itself – the carving, the inking, the pressing – speaks to a culture grappling with new ways of creating and consuming images. What kind of value do we assign it when it’s both art and a functional element of text? Editor: So, it challenges our modern ideas about "high art?" Curator: Precisely! It prompts us to consider the materials and processes, and question those traditional boundaries.