The Falls of the Liri at Isola di Sora, Italy c. 1755

Editor: This is Richard Wilson's "The Falls of the Liri at Isola di Sora, Italy," a drawing of gray wash on paper. It feels so serene, capturing everyday life against the backdrop of this powerful waterfall. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Consider the paper itself. Was it locally sourced? How does its texture influence Wilson’s mark-making and the atmospheric effect? The drawing is less about the grand view and more about the human interaction with this raw material, nature. Editor: So you're saying the importance lies not in the landscape itself, but in how the artist interacts with it through his materials? Curator: Precisely. And by extension, how the viewer interacts with the final product. It's about labor, materiality, consumption. Editor: I never considered the materiality so directly! Curator: Thinking about these processes shifts our understanding beyond just aesthetics.