The Anglers' Bridge on the Wandle 1898

Editor: So, this is "The Anglers' Bridge on the Wandle" created by Frank Short in 1898. It's a print, an etching. It has this kind of wistful, almost decaying feel to it, I think. What stands out to you when you look at this work? Curator: It’s funny you say decaying because there is such life brimming in the river’s edge, you know? Short masterfully captures that feeling when the air is still and thick with potential. The print captures a scene so fleeting it almost feels as though one’s memory is making up the image… what do you suppose Short was hoping to evoke? Editor: I guess a sense of place and time, a specific moment. The ordinary beauty of the English countryside, maybe? It does feel nostalgic somehow. Curator: Precisely! It’s realism imbued with feeling, I suppose you might call it poetic realism if such a term existed. There's this balance Short strikes. A delicate dance between the objective depiction of the bridge – I can almost feel the worn wood under my hand – and that emotional resonance. He is not just documenting a structure, is he? Editor: Definitely not just a bridge. I love how you can see the angler so clearly despite how minimal the marks are; almost impressionistic! He's part of the landscape, patient and still, as though waiting for some secret to be revealed. Curator: Ah, spot on. Short doesn't show the anglers face so it might be anyone: a loved one, an imagined future self… the perfect spot to contemplate. And maybe, the bridge leads somewhere else, metaphorically, you see? Editor: Yeah, it kind of embodies the possibility of escape. This has actually given me a whole new appreciation for etchings and their subtle details. Curator: Excellent. That’s what it’s all about. Seeing – *really* seeing – isn't it?