Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows (1) 1998

Curator: Here we have Leon Kossoff’s etching, "Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows (1)." Editor: It’s a storm of lines, isn’t it? Like the cathedral is emerging from a chaotic dream, or being consumed by one. Curator: Kossoff, born in 1926, used etching, a printmaking technique where acid is used to cut into a metal plate, allowing for incredibly detailed work. Editor: You can almost feel the scratching, can't you? I bet the workshop where this print was made was full of the metallic smells of acid and ink. Curator: Exactly! The materials and the process themselves become expressive, reflecting the post-war industrial landscape that formed Kossoff’s worldview. Editor: I see that. I get this sense of resilience despite the chaos. It's both beautiful and uneasy-making. Curator: Ultimately, Kossoff's Salisbury presents an engagement with both process and subject matter. Editor: For me, it's a reminder that even the most solid-seeming things are always in flux, constantly becoming and unbecoming.