The Fall of Ostend: The Digue during Embarkation of the Naval Division from Antwerp c. 1917

Editor: This is Gerald Pryse's "The Fall of Ostend: The Digue during Embarkation of the Naval Division from Antwerp," held at the Tate. It looks like a hurried scene, full of dark figures. What do you make of it? Curator: This image is rife with symbols of disruption and displacement. The hurried figures, contrasted against the imposing ships, evoke a sense of vulnerability and the overwhelming force of war. Notice how the artist uses light and shadow - does it suggest anything to you about the emotional state of the subjects? Editor: It makes the figures seem lost, almost like shadows themselves. Curator: Exactly. Consider how this visual language reflects the psychological impact of conflict. The embarkation becomes a symbol of forced migration and lost homelands, carried in our collective memory. Editor: I never thought about it that way before! Thanks for your insight! Curator: My pleasure. It’s in these symbols that art truly speaks across time.