Caprice with a Wall and Wall-Plaques from ‘Six Proposals for the Improvement of Stockwood Park Nurseries in the Borough of Luton’ 1986

Curator: The mood here, it’s a bit mischievous, isn't it? Like finding a secret garden in a history book. Editor: Indeed. This print, "Caprice with a Wall and Wall-Plaques," is by Ian Hamilton Finlay and Gary Hincks, after Claude Lorrain. It's part of a series of proposals for Stockwood Park Nurseries. Curator: Stockwood Park Nurseries? So, this classical scene is meant for… a garden centre? Editor: Precisely. Finlay often juxtaposed classical and historical references with modern or unexpected contexts, critiquing notions of high and low culture. The wall with plaques and classical ruins feel like a staged set. Curator: It’s as if he's planting a seed of doubt in our minds about what we value, or what we consider beautiful. The ships on the horizon, the classical architecture on the right... It’s a whole world in a print, almost a challenge. Editor: Exactly! It’s a challenge to see beyond the surface, beyond the familiar tropes, and ask ourselves: what stories are we choosing to tell, and who gets to tell them? Curator: A thought-provoking prank, then. I like it. Editor: It certainly gives one pause, doesn't it? Art as a form of intervention, quietly changing our perceptions.