The Cove 2016

Curator: Standing here, I feel almost pulled into the scene – that sky is simply mesmerizing. Editor: Absolutely. What strikes me immediately is the interplay of light and shadow in this small jewel by Rose Freymuth-Frazier, painted en plein air in 2016; its name is “The Cove.” I am seeing how it could be considered through the lens of Romanticism and even touches on Modernism, wouldn't you agree? Curator: Mmm, the romance is in the colors, the glow. To me, the hazy brushstrokes give it that feeling of a memory, a place half-remembered and wholly loved. It is her particular take on realism in painting and how we perceive what surrounds us. Editor: True. There's definitely an emotional depth beyond the purely representational, evoking how landscapes reflect back the long history of environmental exploitation, something that we see happening to the coastline all around the world. Its inviting tones also invite a critical gaze at access and privilege and who gets to own, visit, or capture such vistas. Curator: So, even in a seemingly straightforward seascape, you find layers of social commentary? Editor: It's almost impossible not to, isn't it? I like how Frazier presents us a beautiful view without idealizing or erasing any traces from possible damage caused by human interactions. It challenges viewers to think more about their relationship to the environment. Curator: I see what you mean. The longer I look, the less simple it appears. There's a tension between the allure of the scene and the underlying disquiet you pointed out. Editor: Right, “The Cove” invites us to embrace the messy and contradictory nature of beauty and belonging, no? It asks how our visions might be used both as pleasure and awareness. Curator: Well, thanks for turning my peaceful moment of landscape appreciation into an existential quandary! Editor: Only doing my job! And hopefully making this view a bit more vivid for those looking.