Stile c. 19th century

Curator: This is "Stile," an etching by W. T. Green, currently residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels nostalgic, almost faded, like a memory recalled in sepia tones. You can almost feel the worn texture of that wooden stile. Curator: Indeed. The composition invites reflection. Note how the stile, a simple construction, becomes a liminal space, a threshold between cultivated land and the wildness beyond. Editor: I'm drawn to the labor involved in creating this scene through etching. Consider the repetitive, physical work of building that stile and replicating it with such detail using this printmaking process. Curator: The scene evokes a romantic vision of rural England, a common theme in art of this period, reflecting anxieties about industrialization and urbanization. Editor: It’s interesting to consider the consumption of images like these. Was this meant to be displayed in an upper-class home to reinforce a particular social hierarchy? Curator: Precisely. It offers a glimpse into the constructed image of pastoral life that was prevalent at the time. Editor: It makes you reconsider the art of landscape and all the historical forces that create our perceptions of it.