Seascape 1894

Editor: Here we have Robert David Gauley's "Seascape," and I’m immediately drawn to the layering of paint, the way it builds texture. What is your perspective on this work? Curator: I notice the artist's hand—the very labor evident in the brushstrokes. It prompts me to consider the production of this piece. What materials did Gauley choose and how do they influence our understanding of the seascape? Editor: It's interesting to consider the materiality beyond just 'paint on canvas' – what the specific pigments were, where he sourced them. Curator: Exactly. And considering Gauley’s process alongside the history of seascape painting, we see how he both participates in and potentially critiques the tradition of landscape as commodity and aesthetic object. Editor: That's a totally different way of viewing it, beyond just the surface image. Curator: Precisely, understanding the means reveals so much more.