Mosnac, Dordogne 1968

Editor: So this is John Piper’s “Mosnac, Dordogne,” currently held in the Tate Collection. The layers of color give it such a rich texture. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Consider the materials—paper, ink, perhaps gouache. The textures achieved through printing and layering speak to a process. How does the method of production inform our understanding of the landscape itself? Is it a romantic vision, or something else? Editor: I see what you mean. The printmaking makes it feel less idealistic, maybe more about the labor of observing and recreating. Curator: Exactly. And think about the social context – landscape as a consumable image, mass-produced and distributed. Does that alter its value or meaning for you? Editor: It definitely adds another layer to it, thinking about its accessibility and how that contrasts with the scene it depicts. Thanks!