Wooded Landscape (continues on page 42 verso); verso: blank c. 19th century

Curator: This is Edward Burne-Jones' "Wooded Landscape," a pencil sketch spanning two pages of a sketchbook. Editor: It feels incredibly light and airy, almost ephemeral. The pencil strokes barely there, like a dreamscape fading into view. Curator: Burne-Jones often used landscapes to evoke mood. The Pre-Raphaelites found the natural world a powerful source of symbolism. Editor: It has a slightly haunted feel, doesn’t it? The way the trees loom, their shapes suggesting a more profound, perhaps unsettling, story. Curator: Considering his other works, the forest could represent the depths of the human psyche, a space of both beauty and potential danger. Editor: Ultimately, it’s intriguing how such simple lines can conjure such complex emotions. Curator: Indeed, a glimpse into the artistic process of one of the greats.