Gezicht op Trentham in Staffordshire 1731

Curator: Jacob Bonneau's 1731 watercolor, "Gezicht op Trentham in Staffordshire," presents a serene, panoramic view of the Trentham estate. Editor: My first impression is the vastness, the sense of controlled nature rendered in gentle watercolors, almost like a stage set. What stories are held in the landscape itself, though? Curator: Indeed. This "stage set," as you call it, reveals the Earl Gower's seat, which tells us about power, land ownership, and the inherent social hierarchy represented in the visual landscape of 18th-century England. The placement of the estate within this verdant setting speaks volumes about privilege and its relationship to nature’s resources. Editor: I see your point, but look at the materiality, the labor that shaped the gardens, diverted the water, managed the flocks of sheep dotting the scene! Bonneau’s application of watercolors highlights the soft textures of rolling hills and the density of the woodlands. Think of the process involved—the pigments ground, the brushes made. It links artistry and material reality. Curator: Absolutely, but it's also about perception. Bonneau’s viewpoint subtly reinforces a particular way of seeing the world, one where wealth and land equate to beauty and order. The image aestheticizes control, but that perspective erases those who worked the land to produce this scene of prosperity. Editor: So, are you saying that Bonneau's choice of watercolors makes a statement about exploitation and subjugation rather than offering evidence of technical aptitude? To produce something, by necessity, there has to be a relationship to material. I see both inherent here, even if Bonneau sought out "beautiful" landscape as an expression. Curator: I am suggesting we consider what the artist, Bonneau, doesn't explicitly show— the hidden labor and societal cost of the idealized landscape. We should seek a more critical reading of the image, contextualizing within larger dialogues of class and land use. Editor: It strikes me as significant that watercolor lends itself well to plein-air work. It suggests both immediacy and that direct encounter with the site. It also invites questions: whose encounter? For whom was that "beauty" produced or designed? Curator: Precisely, it is this convergence between artist, landscape, materials, and the absent workers which reveals broader structures. Thinking about its intersectional reading allows a far more potent, nuanced and contemporary lens through which the work is perceived and placed in context. Editor: Considering the labour then in this image pushes me towards seeking some awareness, if that were possible, from its consumers as well. Perhaps our view helps move its value beyond the representational into that of the experiential for our viewer today.