Gubba: Panorama of the Town 1941

Editor: Here we have Edward Bawden's watercolor, "Gubba: Panorama of the Town." It's a sprawling landscape, quite muted in color. What do you see in terms of the artist's choice of materials and their impact? Curator: The deliberate use of watercolor, typically associated with amateur or decorative work, applied to a panoramic vista raises questions. Is Bawden elevating a common material? Highlighting the labor involved in rendering such detail? Perhaps even commenting on the accessibility of landscape art itself? Editor: That’s a really interesting point about elevating the material itself. I hadn't considered that. Curator: Consider, too, how this material choice democratizes art-making. Bawden seems less interested in the grand spectacle, and more in the quiet, repetitive act of its production. Editor: Thanks, it gives me a lot to think about! Curator: Indeed. It makes me reconsider the value we place on artistic labor and materials.