The Messerschmidt in Windsor Great Park 1940

Editor: This is Paul Nash’s "The Messerschmitt in Windsor Great Park." I’m struck by how the watercolor medium softens the harsh reality of a downed war machine. What story do you think Nash is telling through materials and process? Curator: The materiality speaks volumes. Watercolor, typically associated with landscapes, contrasts sharply with the industrial subject. Consider the labor: was this watercolor created on site? And how does this representation play into wartime consumption of images? Editor: That’s fascinating! I hadn’t thought about how the choice of watercolor challenges that traditional association. It makes you question its purpose. Curator: Exactly. The process and materials highlight the uneasy relationship between nature, industry, and the spectacle of war. Editor: I’ll definitely look at watercolors differently from now on. Thanks for helping me see that.