A Girl Seated on Rocks in a Wood 

Editor: This watercolor is by John William Inchbold, called "A Girl Seated on Rocks in a Wood." It’s so delicate; the textures of the rocks and foliage feel almost tangible. What strikes you about this work? Curator: The materiality speaks volumes. Consider the paper, the pigments, the very act of applying watercolor. Inchbold, in choosing this medium, participates in a specific history of landscape painting, one often associated with leisure and the consumption of picturesque scenery. Editor: So the choice of watercolor itself tells a story? Curator: Absolutely. It's a portable, relatively inexpensive medium. Who was this work for? Was it intended for public display, or private contemplation? The size suggests intimacy. Editor: That's a new way of looking at it for me, thanks! Curator: It's all about understanding the conditions of its making and reception!