A.O.N.B. (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) 1982 - 1984

Curator: Keith Arnatt's photograph, "A.O.N.B. (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty)," presents a starkly composed scene. Editor: Beauty? That broken down cottage and looming bridge feel more like a post-industrial lament to me. Curator: Precisely. The contrast is the point. Arnatt exploits the semiotic tension between the idyllic title and the photograph's rather bleak reality. The composition itself emphasizes the structural forms. Editor: It’s a bit cheeky, isn't it? Like he’s poking fun at the very idea of manufactured beauty. Curator: Indeed. The framing and stark tonality further underscore the conceptual rigor at play. Editor: It makes you question what we even consider beautiful. Not bad for a snapshot. Curator: Arnatt's photograph invites a deconstruction of pastoral clichés. Editor: I see a challenge to our perceptions, a little wink and a prod. Thanks, Keith.