Tree & Hills 1944

Editor: This is "Tree & Hills" by Cecil Collins, a black and white drawing in the Tate collection. It feels almost like an illustration from a fable. What socio-political readings can you draw from the image of a tree with a human face? Curator: Well, the androgynous face nestled within the tree suggests ideas around nature and identity. Collins was working in a period of intense social change and a loss of innocence after the wars, so this idyllic image may be a commentary on simpler times. Editor: Simpler times, or perhaps a rejection of a world that had become too complex? Curator: Precisely! By inverting tradition Collins made this a powerful statement on the politics of innocence and the idealisation of landscapes. Editor: I never thought of it that way before. Thanks for sharing your insights!