Banffshire 1919

Curator: Ah, yes, "Banffshire," a watercolor and coloured pencil drawing by James McBey, created in 1919. It’s a beautiful, if understated, plein-air piece. Editor: My initial reaction? Melancholy. The muted blues and greens create a sense of quiet stillness, almost like a faded memory. It’s a very… contemplative scene. Curator: Precisely! McBey captures the spirit of the place, I think, even with such a restrained palette. Bridges often symbolize transitions, connections. Here, it almost feels like it’s a gateway to another time. Editor: The boats huddled on the shore reinforce that. They seem stranded, their masts like lonely sentinels. Boats can signify journeys, hope, adventure, but here they seem weighted down, symbolic perhaps of unfulfilled desires or stagnation. It’s almost dreamlike, and definitely not joyful. Curator: McBey had a turbulent life, traveled extensively, saw action in both World Wars, and the landscapes he creates reflect these inner states and impressions. The sparseness is not merely stylistic but also very emotionally evocative of an unstable era. There are hints of something, not just an emptiness, a lingering presence like a ghost or uninvited guest. Editor: The composition is interesting too; the waterline splits the scene nearly in half. A liminal space where sky reflects on water and water merges with land... this echoes the ambiguity. We do not quite know where our feet are placed... it evokes in me, that sensation. Curator: I'd agree that this feeling that there are multiple messages happening, despite it being muted, gives an air of tension. Almost as if it’s about to break! Despite this seeming serenity. Editor: The light seems trapped, not allowed to spread or illuminate with cheer. I now wonder if "Banffshire," while descriptive of place, might also carry a deeper, more personal meaning related to McBey's experience of, or in, that specific place and year? Curator: Perhaps. It certainly lends itself to that interpretation. Thank you, I did not look at the piece like that initially. Editor: My pleasure, these works of the past only become our teachers.