Mimosaboom in Santa Margherita Ligure 1926

Curator: Immediately, I’m drawn to the stark contrasts, almost theatrical, yet also…intimate? Editor: Yes, that intimacy exists alongside the grand vista of the Ligurian coastline. The work is “Mimosaboom in Santa Margherita Ligure,” a 1926 woodcut print by Bernard Essers. What strikes me is how the relative darkness is punctuated by these bright, almost dreamlike images of Mimosas that dot the shoreline along with an illuminated canopy above the landscape. Curator: Those blossoms definitely offer an otherworldly feel, their whiteness echoing that unusual cloud formation above the promontory. Considering the period, 1926, one can’t help but look for meaning in the way this solitary figure ascends the steps away from the harbor. This image, with its play of darkness and light, could easily be interpreted within post-war anxieties about place, mobility, and isolation. Editor: You’re right, and the figure adds a very personal narrative element. The harbor scene in the background becomes allegorical as a consequence, drawing on conventional seascape imagery, referencing journeys and adventures on the water, perhaps? Notice the tree bending to allow the sailor’s ascension—like the boughs themselves have agency here? Essers really maximizes on the woodcut medium with sharp angular lines that have an immediate emotive impact, and this effect is not limited to the foliage. Curator: It does have this strong Art Nouveau sensibility with a streamlined yet dramatic quality that lends itself well to considerations of place-making and nationalism in the interwar period. The Mimosas themselves feel laden with signification, they remind me of funerary decorations, which in conjunction with the shadowed palette offers a feeling of quiet lament. Editor: I can definitely see the layers of somber symbolism. For me, Essers balances starkness with an emotional and symbolic tension that draws the viewer in. It asks, what journeys will be easy and what struggles will come for us as we reach the destinations we pursue? Curator: Thank you for offering that analysis, with this context I can certainly consider those emotive qualities of the Mimosas alongside the isolation of the ascending figure and perhaps develop a narrative arc for visitors. Editor: And for me, looking at it through the lens of contemporary identity and location offers many possibilities of new insight as well!