Dawlish 1820

Curator: Luke Clennell’s rendering of Dawlish presents such a meticulously rendered scene. I feel like I’m peering into a lost world! Editor: It has a quietness, doesn't it? Like a still moment captured just before the hustle and bustle begins. The composition's quite clever, leading the eye from the boats on the shore to those imposing cliffs. Curator: The artist’s delicate engraving really does capture the drama of the Devon coastline, doesn't it? The contrast between the solid mass of the cliffs and the delicate rigging of the boats is just exquisite. Editor: Absolutely, the materiality is interesting, too, the fine lines create a sense of texture and depth, almost tactile. It makes me think about the working lives of the people there. Curator: It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What were their stories? What did their days entail? Editor: Precisely! And the starkness of the medium—that monochrome palette—somehow heightens the feeling of a bygone era. Curator: It's a testament to Clennell's skill that such a small image can evoke so much. Editor: Indeed. It invites us to slow down, to observe, and maybe even to reflect on our own relationship with the landscape.