Messina 

Editor: This wispy watercolor by Muirhead Bone, simply titled "Messina," captures a hazy coastal scene. It feels delicate, almost fleeting. What story do you think the materials tell here? Curator: The story is about the artist's hand and eye responding rapidly to a specific environment, one where time and resources dictated the work’s scale and complexity. The choice of watercolor itself speaks to a certain economy – readily portable, quick to apply, suitable for capturing fleeting atmospheric effects. Do you think the washes feel complete? Editor: Not exactly complete, no. They’re more like impressions, capturing light and the feel of the water. So you're saying the materials weren't just a choice but influenced the aesthetic? Curator: Precisely. Bone's mark-making is very important, consider the drawing's materiality, from paper to pigments: Were they local to Messina? Imported at great expense? Who would buy it, and what would that transaction imply? Editor: It’s amazing how those simple, seemingly insignificant details open up so much more than just a pretty picture. I’m rethinking the whole piece now! Curator: Exactly. It invites us to consider the artwork not just as a depiction but as an artifact of specific production and consumption. Considering those facets deepens the viewers relationship to the drawing.