Anticoli 1927

Curator: There’s a definite sense of quiet solitude radiating from this landscape. The fine lines create a world teeming with life yet still serene. Editor: We're looking at “Anticoli,” an etching made by William Evan Charles Morgan in 1927. The etching process really lends itself to detail, capturing every minute contour and undulation in the Italian hillside, doesn’t it? Curator: Absolutely. That winding road, for example, acts as both a physical pathway and, in some ways, a visual metaphor for the path of life itself – the unexpected turns and gradual climb towards something more. You know, in many landscape traditions, roads can symbolize journeys of transformation and spiritual progression. Editor: Fascinating thought. It certainly provides a means by which the small town, nestled atop that somewhat daunting hill, engages with the world. In many ways, Morgan shows us that communities establish their social structures both in harmony with and in resistance to nature's force. Curator: You see how the rooftops are almost huddled together for warmth, and the shadows provide that contrast. These things have social meanings – there are themes of protection, history, even the weight of collective memory reflected in its compact architecture. Editor: These isolated towns are so connected to myth. Etchings like this also had a practical purpose. Prints democratized images, bringing depictions of European destinations to the middle classes, contributing to the growing appetite for tourism. The politics of visual consumption helped create what Europe represents in the modern imagination. Curator: Yes, and each of us looking at this can imprint onto it an imagined home. These locations take on an emotional significance that might just explain some of our present nostalgia. Editor: A point well taken. Thank you for reminding us to reflect on the significance of imagery today, its function across centuries. Curator: It’s always important to look back while appreciating the beauty in front of us. Thank you for exploring that idea together.