The East Front of Holdenby Castle 

Editor: This is Sir James Thornhill’s “The East Front of Holdenby Castle,” held at the Tate. It's a small drawing and the architecture looks quite imposing even in its ruined state. How would you interpret this work? Curator: It speaks to the transience of power, doesn't it? Holdenby was grand, associated with Charles I's imprisonment, but now, Thornhill captures its decay. This ruin, rendered with such precision, invites us to consider the social and political forces that led to its downfall. Editor: So, you see it as a commentary on power dynamics rather than just a depiction of a ruin? Curator: Precisely. It's about interrogating who holds power, how they wield it, and the inevitable consequences when structures of authority crumble. We are left to ponder: what is the legacy of such spaces? Editor: I hadn't considered that before. It makes me see the drawing in a completely new light. Curator: Art often challenges us to rethink what we thought we knew.