Under Kemmel Hill 

Curator: This is "Under Kemmel Hill," a watercolour and pencil work by David Young Cameron. Editor: Wow, it's all so ethereal. Like a memory fading, almost dreamlike. I immediately feel this intense sense of stillness, of watching. Curator: Yes, that stillness is powerful, isn't it? It's deceptively simple, but I think the context gives it incredible weight. Kemmel Hill, in Flanders, was a crucial strategic point during World War I. Its capture and recapture saw unbelievable loss of life, primarily from the French. I wonder, how does that influence your initial impression? Editor: Oh man. See, now that you've said that… Those sparse dark lines aren’t just trees or markers; they're tombstones in a field. And that sky, once serene, suddenly feels oppressive, like a blanket smothering the earth. I just had chills. It's kind of terrifying. It just turned into this haunting monument, which, initially I just found peace in this landscape, but history, trauma... they change everything. It's heavy. Curator: Exactly. Understanding that historical trauma is crucial. Cameron was deeply moved by the war’s impact and that sensibility informs many of his landscapes created afterwards. You get a lot of subtle symbolism which relates to political questions like class, gender and trauma, but this can be easily missed by someone not understanding war contexts. Editor: Absolutely, like if I hadn't asked more I wouldn't have gone from "peaceful scene" to "chilling memorial". And it's wild how the lack of detail almost amplifies that, gives your mind room to imagine what horrors happened on this landscape. The starkness is the punch in the gut, in my view. Like a deliberate act to provoke thought and discussion rather than give answers or certainties. Curator: That ambiguity certainly makes it linger in the mind. A somber meditation. The use of watercolors reinforces the delicate nature of life and how quickly something once so vibrant is dissolved by larger systems of oppression. Editor: So, this wasn't just about looking at pretty art; it was a history lesson painted in light and shadow, which changed everything. Curator: Precisely, a delicate image with weighty echoes.