Dimensions: support: 664 x 498 mm
Copyright: © Peter Blake 2014. All rights reserved, DACS | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Here we have Peter Blake's 'Liberty as a ‘Suffolk Child by John Constable R.A.’ from... well, no date is listed. It's certainly a collage feel with the various renderings of the subject. The grayscale palette gives it a solemn, almost nostalgic feel. How do you interpret Blake's choices here? Curator: Nostalgia is spot on, I think. Blake, a champion of Pop Art, often revisits earlier styles, but with a very personal spin. He’s like a magpie, collecting and re-contextualizing images that resonate with him. Perhaps it's his personal reflection on art history and how artists build upon each other? Editor: So, it’s less about Constable specifically and more about Blake's artistic lineage? Curator: Exactly! Blake's offering a dialogue across time, a conversation with Constable—and perhaps, with himself. What does liberty mean when filtered through different artistic lenses? Editor: It's like he’s saying, "Here's Constable, here's me, now it's your turn to respond."