Act III: The Final Judgment: So he departed on another Track Possibly 1980 - 1981

Arthur Tress made this photograph, Act III: The Final Judgement: So he departed on another Track, with that distinctive sepia tone which gives it the appearance of a victorian engraving. The composition is like a stage set, complete with theatre curtains and footlights, and the word OPERA emblazoned at the top. But what's the opera about? It's full of dark, disturbing imagery - a disembodied eye stares out at us, a discarded boot stands upright like a sentry and there's a pocket watch, symbolising the passage of time. Look closely and you can even see a set of miniature train tracks running across the stage. Each object invites us to imagine its potential meaning, but meaning is always deferred, like a half-remembered dream. The artist, Tress, was clearly fascinated by the theatre, and this piece reminds me of other image makers who blur the lines between reality and illusion, like the surrealist painter, René Magritte. Both artists encourage us to question our perceptions and to embrace the ambiguities of the world around us.