Woodland Scene 

Curator: This is John Varley's "Woodland Scene," held here at the Tate. It's an undated sketch, just under 20cm in height, rendered in graphite. Editor: It feels like a dreamscape. The stark lines against that blue paper create a sense of stillness, almost melancholy. Curator: Landscape was central to British identity. Varley captured not just the scenery but the emotional connection to the land. The trees reach like gothic arches, perhaps signifying a connection to nature's spiritual power? Editor: I wonder what grade of graphite he used. The density of the marks implies a soft material, lending itself to that rapid notation. It’s almost industrial in its efficiency; a record of a moment, a place. Curator: Maybe he was sketching out motifs or ideas for later paintings. Editor: A preparatory study then, an intimate view into his process. It makes you consider the labour and craft involved in rendering the world. Curator: It invites us to contemplate our own relationship with the environment around us. Editor: Precisely, a tangible record of nature transformed by the artist’s hand.