Autumn Midnight 1923

Editor: This is Eric Gill's "Autumn Midnight," a wood engraving from the Tate. I'm struck by the contrast between the darkness of the room and the light outside. What can you tell me about the historical context influencing this work? Curator: Gill was deeply influenced by his religious convictions, and his art often explores themes of spirituality and the human condition. How might the social anxieties of the interwar period, coupled with his religious beliefs, manifest in this intimate, almost cloistered scene? Editor: Perhaps the figure’s isolation speaks to a broader sense of unease. Curator: Indeed. And consider the formal qualities of wood engraving itself – its starkness, its reliance on black and white – as a reflection of a world grappling with moral certainties in flux. Editor: I hadn't considered how the medium amplifies that feeling. Curator: It all comes together to highlight how personal anxieties play out against the backdrop of major cultural shifts.