Ightham Moat 

Editor: So, this is Ightham Moat, an oil painting, done *en plein air*, attributed to Winston Churchill, though the date is uncertain. The creamy impasto gives the surface so much texture! It feels really serene to me. What do you see in it? Curator: Oh, serene indeed! It's more than just a picture of a building, isn’t it? It's a memory, almost… a sensory impression dipped in sunlight. You see the brushstrokes are really evocative. Churchill wasn't trying to replicate Ightham Mote; he was feeling it. Can't you almost feel the sun on the stone? The reflections shimmer with his own fascination. Editor: Yes, I see that. So the slightly hazy, impressionistic style is part of conveying a feeling, not just recording a scene. Curator: Precisely! And look at how the greens reflect and interact. Notice how he makes the viewer almost squint with him? This painting isn't really *of* Ightham Moat. What I mean is, it becomes a lens to the past, a romantic imagining that reminds us all of…well, something pleasant that probably never happened! It's an invitation. What do *you* dream about when you look at it? Editor: Now that you point it out, I do feel like I am peering at it with squinted eyes, trying to take it all in and imagine what it would be like to walk right in! I never looked at it that way. Curator: Exactly! So glad you picked up on that! So, maybe, as artists, we make "memory prompts," using the world to conjure dreams in paint. It's something for me to consider... thanks! Editor: Absolutely. This was insightful; I’m taking away so much about light, texture and mood here. Thank you for your time!