Above the Sea 

Curator: This striking image is "Above the Sea" by Eyvind Earle, though we don’t have a confirmed date for its creation. Editor: The scene hits me immediately with an otherworldly sense, it's saturated in intense blues, greens, and this almost aggressively bright yellow that feels utterly dreamlike. Curator: The stylistic components really stand out here, wouldn't you say? I find myself lost in contemplation regarding the repeating patterns and highly stylized flora. Do they reflect a search for some primeval, underlying harmony in the landscape? Editor: Absolutely. But the *making* of that stylized form interests me. Looking closely, it feels like the layering of different mediums, doesn’t it? I can almost sense a dialogue between serigraphy techniques and the tactile application of paint—the building of those distinct bands of color feels almost geological in its patient accumulation of material. It raises interesting questions about Earle’s relationship to craft and industry, the mass production of fine art. Curator: You're quite right; one sees so many influences coalescing. What fascinates me most are the archetypal images Earle draws on—the glowing light, the calm water, the implied path – leading to…where? The viewer’s subconscious? Some collective memory of ideal landscapes, pastoral dreams shared by many cultures? Editor: Well, those landscapes are intensely manufactured, even for supposedly 'natural' scenery. The road cut directly up the hill makes me think of infrastructural interventions. Curator: Perhaps we both see different paths implied here, roads to distinct conclusions. Editor: Yes. I see now in more ways than one! Still, this image really makes you question what nature is once it runs through culture’s many filtering processes of creation.