Summer Morning 1954

Curator: This is Sir William Gillies' "Summer Morning," currently held in the Tate Collections. The support measures 670 by 575 mm. Editor: It feels immediate, almost a memory captured in ink. The light and shadow play is quite striking, despite the limited tonal range. Curator: Gillies was Scottish, and that sense of place – the particular light, the specific quality of the vegetation – resonates deeply. The quick, almost frantic linework evokes a transient moment. Editor: And look at the visible process, the layering of ink washes and the delicate, almost skeletal quality of the trees. The choice of ink and paper speaks to accessibility, sketching as a daily practice. Curator: It's more than just a sketch, I think. The symbolism of the natural world as a refuge, a source of renewal, is palpable. The trees, reaching towards the sky, embody aspiration. Editor: Perhaps, but for me, it is the artist’s hand, his labor, that most strongly asserts itself here. The materiality of the ink, the tooth of the paper, the artist's gesture. Curator: It's a dialogue, isn't it? Between observation and memory, between the tangible and the symbolic. Editor: Indeed. A testament to the power of simple materials skillfully employed.