Two from Charlie 1967

Editor: We are looking at “Two from Charlie,” a 1967 etching by Peter Milton. There is a figure sort of embedded in a landscape with some interesting divisions and textures. What is your take on it? Curator: The divisions are fascinating, aren’t they? To me, it speaks to the fragmentation of memory and experience in the post-war era. This print appeared when museums really started to explore photography's purpose as high art and started photography departments, too. Etchings mimic some of photography's strengths while still keeping a fine-art tradition, which is worth thinking about when viewing "Two From Charlie". Notice the figure on the left seems almost ghostly, fading into the natural setting. How does that affect your interpretation? Editor: It makes the figure feel transient, like he's just passing through. I like that photography insight, I hadn't quite thought about that, but it’s not *quite* photo-realistic either! Curator: Exactly! And the way Milton uses the etching technique – the lines, the textures – creates a dreamlike atmosphere. What kind of dialogue do you think Milton might be creating with the canon of American landscape imagery with this picture? Editor: Maybe Milton wanted to comment on our changing relationship with the land or comment on land management and urban growth… There is almost an uncertainty and quiet disquiet that radiates. It's really complicated. Curator: Precisely, those are all really valid points, and this artwork becomes a space for us to grapple with those social tensions, it gives an opportunity for the viewer to recognize them within our everyday. Editor: This has certainly helped me consider how societal issues, cultural movements, and print media of the day would influence a work like this. Thanks! Curator: Likewise, your perspectives made me consider the immediate human impact of these large, complicated concepts.