Seaton 1977 - 1978

Editor: This is John Piper's "Seaton". It's a print with strong colors, and I find the composition quite striking with the buildings set against that green sky. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a deliberate disruption of the picturesque, a subversion of idealized rural landscapes. Piper painted bombed-out churches during the war. This feels like a commentary on the decay of rural life, contrasting the industrial with the spiritual, the past and present in tension. Editor: That's interesting; I didn't think about the disruption aspect. I was more focused on the colors. Curator: The colors themselves can be read as a commentary. The earthy orange and brown tones against the sickly green might symbolize a landscape poisoned by industrial progress, don't you think? Editor: I do now! Thanks, that gives me a lot to consider. Curator: It's about questioning whose stories are told and whose voices are silenced within these landscapes.