Winter woods 1998

Editor: "Winter Woods" by Eyvind Earle, created in 1998. It looks like an ink drawing, a very striking silhouette of bare trees against a light pinkish-purple background. It evokes a feeling of stillness, a quiet winter day. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see the breath of winter held still. The artist, Earle, was a master of simplified forms and intricate detail, wasn't he? And I find that delicate dance particularly evident here. The stark, almost calligraphic lines of the trees create such rhythm. It’s a kind of visual poetry, capturing winter’s stark beauty, wouldn't you agree? It also reminds me of how winter reveals the underlying architecture of nature, those shapes that are hidden in the lushness of other seasons. What does the colour palette do for you? Editor: It definitely reinforces the feeling of cold. The choice of colors makes the woods look mysterious, almost magical. And the bare branches almost seem to have a delicate and fragile aspect, too, in contrast with how majestic trees can be during warmer seasons. Curator: Indeed! I’d wager it makes one think about ephemerality, doesn't it? Each branch a fleeting whisper against a backdrop that is equally impermanent – dawn, or dusk, a fleeting moment in time. Think of how, in traditional landscape paintings, winter scenes were often allegories of mortality. Earle is doing something subtler, I think. Editor: I never would have considered mortality, but you're right, it adds another layer of depth. I see so much more to this drawing now! Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! It’s often the quietest works that speak the loudest if we are willing to listen closely.