Trefalen 2021

Editor: Here we have Owen Gent's 2021 painting, "Trefalen", made with acrylic paint. The composition, split between sky, water, and figures, creates a dreamlike atmosphere. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: What I see is a deliberate dialogue being constructed between Romanticism's visual language and contemporary concerns about vulnerability. The embracing figures submerged in water become metaphors for navigating emotional depths and societal pressures. How do you perceive the figures’ nakedness within this aquatic context? Editor: I hadn't considered that. Their nudity felt natural, vulnerable. Are you suggesting Gent uses that vulnerability to make a broader comment? Curator: Precisely. The artist presents the human form stripped bare, quite literally, and immersed in a space that is both cleansing and potentially overwhelming. Water is life, but also a place where you cannot breathe. This duality encourages reflection on power dynamics, particularly within interpersonal relationships but also in the face of environmental issues, yes? Is this intimacy restorative, or a desperate attempt to connect in isolation? What do you feel the title reveals about the intersection of these bodies and their place in nature? Editor: "Trefalen"—I don't know what that means. Does knowing the name of the landscape it changes the experience or make a comment? Curator: Yes, it anchors the piece to a specific place. Landscape paintings are often tied up in notions of belonging, of heritage, and also of exploitation. Does knowing it depicts a real location alter your perception of the figures’ embrace, of their shared vulnerability in the natural world? Do you think Gent uses this setting to hint at ecological concerns alongside emotional ones? Editor: I didn’t catch the ecological angle at first. Thinking of it as one specific location changes it a lot, I think. Now I see the painting more as a statement on humans seeking comfort amidst external pressures, be they environmental or emotional. Curator: I agree. Seeing it this way enables us to consider art's potential for social commentary and empathy.