Brading Harbour, Isle of Wight, engraved by E. Finden 1836

Editor: This is Clarkson Stanfield's "Brading Harbour, Isle of Wight," an engraving. It feels like a very romanticized, idealized view of the countryside. What do you see in it? Curator: I see a landscape deeply embedded in the social and economic realities of its time. The picturesque scene, while seemingly idyllic, obscures the labour and colonial exploitation that funded such leisure. Note the figures on horseback, positioned to dominate the scene. Editor: So, you're saying there's a power dynamic at play? Curator: Precisely. Who has access to this landscape, and who profits from it? Consider also the absence of those whose labour sustained this "pastoral" vision. We need to read beyond the surface beauty. Editor: That makes me rethink my initial impression completely. I hadn’t considered the politics of landscape. Curator: Exactly! Art is never neutral. It reflects and reinforces societal structures. We must question whose stories are being told, and whose are being erased.