[23] Palace of Portici and View 1778 - 1779

Curator: This is John Warwick Smith's, Palace of Portici and View. While the date is unknown, Smith lived from 1749 to 1831, and this watercolor is part of the Tate Collections. Editor: The colors are muted, almost dreamlike, but the composition is very structured. There’s a clear foreground, middle ground, and background, guiding the eye. Curator: Absolutely. Smith was part of a wave of British artists who traveled to Italy, drawn to its classical past and picturesque landscapes. This view, while seemingly idyllic, also speaks to the colonial gaze, capturing a scene ripe with social and economic implications. Editor: The materials are interesting, too. Watercolor allowed for a certain level of portability and immediacy, fitting for an artist capturing a landscape. I wonder about the source of the pigments and the paper used. Curator: That's key. The very act of painting becomes a form of possession, framing the landscape for a specific audience and reinforcing certain power dynamics. Editor: Looking at the pigments, I wonder about their social history and the labour involved. It really changes how we think about the image. Curator: Indeed. This piece serves as a visual document of its time, a testament to both artistic skill and the complex social fabric that produced it. Editor: It’s so easy to overlook the labor and the materials when viewing something so seemingly serene. A lot to unpack here.