Balcic Gulf 

Editor: This is “Balcic Gulf” by Constantin Artachino, and appears to be oil paint, possibly even watercolor. It gives off a very serene, quiet sort of mood to me. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Beyond its aesthetic tranquility, I see this landscape painting as a visual document tied to broader socio-political narratives. Balcic, now in Bulgaria, has historically been a contested space. How does painting, often viewed as a leisure activity, intersect with these histories of power and displacement? Editor: So you're saying it's not just a pretty picture? Curator: Exactly. The ‘realism’ the metadata points to—whose reality is being represented here? And whose gaze does it cater to? Plein-air painting, while seemingly innocent, was also a tool used by European artists to depict and, in a sense, claim ownership over foreign landscapes, influencing perceptions of these places. Do you think about landscape painting in these terms? Editor: I haven't really considered it that way before. I guess I always saw it as… just capturing nature. Curator: Consider then the potential cultural and historical baggage it carries. Who had the access and privilege to create such paintings? Whose stories were omitted in favor of picturesque scenery? How can we use our interpretation of this work to investigate larger issues? Editor: That gives me a lot to think about! It's more complex than I initially thought. Curator: It certainly is! Art, and its history, always reflect broader societal narratives, if we care to explore them.