Brittany Trees 1885

Editor: So, here we have Charles Adams Platt’s etching, “Brittany Trees,” created around 1885. It's this quietly compelling landscape. Something about the winding path and the thatched-roof house gives it an almost fairy-tale quality. What do you make of it? Curator: You know, it does have a sort of hushed charm. I imagine Platt, en plein air, patiently coaxing those subtle tones from the etching plate. Think about it – capturing that fleeting light of Brittany with just lines. For me, it's about that interplay, the way the realistic blends almost seamlessly with impressionistic abstraction. Look at those trees— how would you describe his mark making here? Editor: Um... sketchy but with precision, I guess? I see the verticality but not many distinct details. Curator: Exactly. It’s almost as if he's inviting us to complete the picture. And isn’t that the delicious trick of Impressionism, after all? Less dictation, more suggestion? Platt was playing with this dance between reality and feeling... like trying to hold onto a beautiful dream just a little longer. It takes me to those last weeks of summer, before we head back to our responsibilities… when the world feels light. Editor: It’s funny you say that, it's quite a wistful perspective! I saw the darker sepia tones and interpreted that into almost gothic undertones. It goes to show the eye of the beholder is important. Curator: Indeed, what a curious paradox we’ve found: that an artist etching reality can, paradoxically, unearth such a well of subjectivity, no? That is the real enchantment of a piece. Editor: I definitely see that tension now – thanks for illuminating that perspective. Curator: My pleasure, I myself appreciate that new awareness.