River View, on the Arno (?) c. 1760

Editor: So, here we have Richard Wilson's "River View, on the Arno(?)," date unknown, shimmering in the Tate's collection. It's small, but it feels expansive, almost dreamlike. What draws you into this scene? Curator: The way Wilson uses light, it's not just illumination; it's a mood. It's about memory, isn't it? A golden age sort of feeling. Almost like he's saying, "Let's build a landscape from our dreams." Editor: That makes sense, there is definitely something nostalgic about the golden light. It almost feels manufactured, like a stage set. Curator: Exactly! Like a stage set for a very personal, internal drama. It's a crafted memory. Editor: I never thought about it that way before, but that stage-set idea really unlocks it for me. Curator: It's all artifice, beautiful artifice, isn't it? Wilson's River View is all about how we build our own history.