Rock Landscape 1977

Curator: Evelyn Gibbs' "Rock Landscape," residing here at the Tate, uses graphite and colored pencil to conjure a scene of quiet geological drama. It's intriguing, wouldn't you agree? Editor: It is. The texture alone—it gives me the impression of something ancient, almost lunar. The limited palette certainly amplifies that feeling. Curator: Absolutely. Consider Gibbs's process: the layering of graphite, the subtle addition of color. This wasn't about mimetic representation, but about investigating the very substance of the landscape. Editor: I find it interesting to view this through a feminist lens. As a woman artist in the early to mid-20th century, Gibbs was navigating a male-dominated field. Choosing a subject like the land—stark, enduring, and often overlooked—can be seen as a powerful statement of presence and resilience. Curator: That's a fascinating point. There's definitely a sense of claiming space in this drawing, a quiet insistence on the importance of these 'overlooked' spaces and materials. Editor: It makes you consider the politics inherent in landscape art, and who gets to represent it, doesn't it? Curator: It certainly does. It's a reminder that the land, and our relationship to it, is always mediated by power. Editor: I'll look at landscapes differently now. Curator: As will I.