Seaside 

Curator: Mark Beck’s painting, titled “Seaside”, presents a rather striking coastal view, created with oil paint, likely en plein air, given its immediacy. The artist uses an impasto technique, adding texture to the scene. Editor: My immediate impression is one of serenity mixed with a slight undercurrent of something darker, maybe melancholy? The vastness of the sea paired with the lone building suggests both escape and isolation. Curator: I think you've hit upon a key tension. Consider how the image of a solitary structure by the sea appears throughout art history, reflecting varied societal attitudes towards isolation, exploration and humanity's place within nature. Often, they can evoke the sublime. Editor: Precisely. The little building, almost childlike in its simplicity, against that monumental sea speaks volumes. Green for the grass, white for the building. Perhaps symbolizing purity of nature contrasting with industrial progress represented by buildings and cities elsewhere. It strikes me that there is a lack of symbolic figures to interpret though, what do you make of that? Curator: Interesting. The lack of figures may emphasize the idea of human interaction within nature's constraints. We can consider the coastal erosion, the tides. Beck subtly places humanity within that dynamic instead, focusing on environment and a simple architectural form instead. Think about this kind of setting in broader culture: its presence on tourism adverts, and real estate. This piece taps into our collective aspiration for the seaside experience. Editor: The coastline has an almost guardian quality. Like it is watching the tides to anticipate our journey here to retreat back to nature. Ultimately this evokes nostalgia; a bittersweet desire for nature where we are perhaps meant to return. Curator: An astute observation. "Seaside" manages to capture a sense of timelessness in a single view. The play of light and shadow creates movement and life on what, at first glance, appears still. Editor: It is a compelling invitation to consider our relationship with the landscape, I feel I am not looking at a piece but inside of it now.