Under the Hills 1923

Editor: So, this is Ethelbert White's "Under the Hills," a charcoal drawing, probably from the early-mid 20th century. It feels very traditional, almost nostalgic. What do you see in it? Curator: The apparent simplicity is deceptive. Consider White's lifetime, bookended by world wars. Doesn't this scene, a rural idyll, resonate with a yearning for an imagined past, a rejection of industrialisation and its discontents? Editor: That's a good point, a kind of escapism. Curator: Exactly! And who had access to this "escape"? Whose labour built and maintained this "idyll"? The drawing invites us to question the social structures underpinning this apparent peace. Editor: I didn't think about that at all. Thanks for the insight! Curator: Of course! Art always reflects the complexities of its time.