Underwater scene 

Editor: This intriguing watercolor, “Underwater Scene,” is by Edwin Austin Abbey. I’m struck by its fluidity, and how the blue washes create an almost dreamlike sense of being submerged. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The most immediate visual cue, for me, is the dream of the "other" dimension in the depth and how this scene carries psychological and emotional weight: The symbolism of water, its relation to purification, rebirth, and the unconscious... Does the symbolism resonate with you? Editor: I can see that – a sort of liminal space. The form are abstract. The work is less interested in describing a reality than pointing towards an experience. I wonder: How might this compare to similar underwater landscapes created closer to our time? Curator: Consider how otherness has been culturally visualized. Images of what lies beneath serve often a dual purpose: unveiling beauty, yet hinting at lurking, hidden, even monstrous aspects that disrupt our sense of mastery. Now look back at this piece -- does the symbol change depending on its viewers? Editor: That’s such an interesting way to consider the passage of meaning across time. Now that you mention it, it occurs to me that underwater scenery appears both tranquil and chaotic, full of potential beauty and also harboring unpredictable dangers. Curator: Exactly. What we visually consume and then project into an image becomes culturally internalized, eventually shaping collective meanings. We use these familiar, readily available symbols to navigate our inner selves. The "monsters," the unknowns, are often self-reflections of our deeper anxieties. Editor: I'll definitely look at this medium with different eyes going forward. Thanks for the context! Curator: It's been a pleasure. It will be intriguing to see how these cultural memories resurface with new visual twists in future artwork.