Interior: Exterior 1977

Curator: We're looking at "Interior: Exterior" by Sir Roger De Grey. The piece resides in the Tate collection. Editor: It has an airy, almost dreamlike quality. The colors are muted, but the contrast between the interior and exterior scenes is striking. Curator: De Grey was deeply involved with the art establishment, serving as President of the Royal Academy. This work seems to play with conventions of landscape painting. Editor: Absolutely. Notice the structure. The window frame acts as a visual barrier and a bridge, separating yet connecting the two realities. It is a flat area made to look deep, like a constructed painting within a painting. Curator: And beyond the composition, there is the symbolism of interior versus exterior space. What might this mean in the context of postwar Britain? Editor: The brushstrokes are loose, impressionistic. It is about creating a mood, more than representing reality. There is much going on here, from the perspective to the texture. Curator: It's a quiet painting, but it speaks volumes about the artist's world and ours. Editor: Yes, it encourages us to contemplate not just what we see, but how we see it.