The Tempest, Act I, Sc II, Safely in Harbor 1977

Editor: This is "The Tempest, Act I, Sc II, Safely in Harbor," an oil painting by Rosemarie Beck, completed in 1977. The figure, presumably Ariel, feels almost secondary to the landscape. What stands out to you about this work? Curator: What intrigues me is how Beck's handling of the oil paint itself informs the narrative. Look at the layering, the thick impasto in the foreground versus the almost translucent washes in the sky. It suggests a hierarchy, not just in composition but in value – the *terra firma*, the means of production, dominates. How does this speak to the social and material conditions implied in Shakespeare’s "The Tempest?" Editor: So you see a commentary on labor even in the paint application? Is she suggesting that Ariel’s freedom is actually bound by the material world represented here? Curator: Precisely. Ariel, often interpreted as ethereal and free, is grounded by the weight of the paint, the implied labor of its application. Note how the boat appears fragile. Is she contrasting that to Ariel's physical form? This work is also ‘plein air’ so how does materiality change by taking it outside to make the artwork? Editor: It’s interesting; I was initially drawn to the colours, but thinking about the *process* makes me reconsider the meaning entirely. I thought it was purely about the relationship of humans to nature but there is a second level of meaning beyond this. Curator: Indeed. And what about the availability of oil paints at that point, which made this all possible, also plays a vital role in what she's getting at? This changes how one looks at nature from being pretty and instead to it as labour-oriented work. Editor: That makes a lot of sense. Thanks for shedding light on the significance of materials; I’ll definitely look at art differently now.