Venice from the Lagoon 

Curator: This is “Venice from the Lagoon,” a watercolor by Hercules Brabazon Brabazon. Editor: There's a wonderful sense of serenity about this work; the soft, muted tones create a calming effect. I feel a certain timeless quality too, the kind that draws you into dream-like recollection of things you have not yet known. Curator: Dream-like is an apt description. It is the impressionistic style that defines this artwork, which involved Brabazon capturing light and fleeting moments, that helps contribute to that particular sensibility. It begs us to examine the means through which its production happened, the quick strokes of his brush across paper… how does that method dictate reception and perceived intention? Editor: I immediately focus on the vibrant sails and the reflections in the water, symbols of adventure and passage, yet tempered with serenity. It's quite lovely how the vertical masts punctuate the otherwise dominant horizontality, offering visual relief. Does it suggest a soul longing to breach beyond what it sees, only to see what it already knew? Curator: Perhaps; and maybe by studying Brabazon's process, it may give one perspective as to what the 'soul' constitutes as something, by which can 'breach beyond'. As for the artistic means, watercolor offered Brabazon the portability and quick-drying ability to be on location and begin on his pieces swiftly; one cannot discredit that, which speaks volumes of how materials and circumstance can effect the subject captured. Editor: A more concrete idea perhaps can be found in the water itself. Water is nearly universally a symbol of purification and the subconscious, so it makes sense that the artist is creating these vaporous renditions within a symbolically potent, even 'votive', setting. But, does such a concrete idea reduce the mystique? Is interpretation of its symbol dependent on experience, as a traveler would hold such notions to great value given the reality they face when visiting? Curator: Such symbolism does indeed, perhaps, hinge on material circumstance as well. By this, I refer to how Brabazon’s decision to work in watercolor shaped the fluidity and transparency of the piece. This medium inherently allows for this "vaporous" effect that you mention. Such artistic availability lends its hand to interpretation in some regards. Editor: Agreed. Ultimately, the evocative power of Brabazon's work seems to lie in the fusion of both method and metaphor, isn't it? Curator: Precisely! Through material means does this lagoon invite endless metaphorical wanderings, indeed!