A Windy Corner Possibly 1880 - 1891

Curator: This is "A Windy Corner," a gelatin silver print, possibly created between 1880 and 1891. The photographer is B. Gay Wilkinson, and it's part of the collection here at the Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: There’s a sort of misty, windswept feeling to this photograph. It’s like stepping into a memory of a long-ago English countryside. Melancholy but calm. Curator: What draws my eye is the printmaking technique used. The gelatin silver process allowed for incredible detail. Wilkinson, by all accounts an Englishman himself, harnessed the reproducibility of the process. He could produce multiples, engaging the public beyond the wealthy elite that might otherwise own such landscape images as painting. Editor: And the textures are wonderful! From the cloud formations to the shaggy coats of the cows. It’s interesting how the realism flirts with impressionism. What's emphasized and how the scene is slightly blurred somehow enhances its essence. It feels like you could almost hear the wind rustling through the trees. Curator: Exactly. The focus on atmosphere is paramount. And look at the bare branches, clearly a fall or winter image, rendered so precisely using photographic chemistry available at the time. Editor: The composition's interesting too. The massive tree to the left, dominating the scene, anchors your gaze. It makes you ponder nature's ability to withstand anything. There's a quiet dignity. Curator: Agreed. Also, the artist is bringing the agrarian sector into the art space. There is no high society or industrial progress depicted here; rather, it seems to idealize the connection to nature that exists with those who work off of the land. Editor: It feels relevant. It makes you think about our relationship with the natural world, about simplifying things and seeking peace away from the daily grind. Wilkinson has really bottled a particular type of rural peace. Curator: It’s that tension between the hardscrabble and the tranquil that is so captivating. What at first looks serene soon reveals a scene of daily life and necessary labor. Editor: Absolutely. A reminder that beauty can be found even in the midst of simplicity and perhaps some hardship. Curator: It also shows how accessible photography made the distribution of beautiful imagery. No longer did the landed gentry get to dictate all artistic taste. Editor: Well, looking at "A Windy Corner" reminds me of the value of observation and finding poetry in the everyday. I am walking away a little refreshed, as if I had taken a nice brisk walk across that very field.