This is my favourite image from the current Seaside exhibition, located in Gallery 2, nearest the entrance by the stairs as you enter the gallery space. The piece is a black and white photograph that is even smaller than a quarter of the size of a postcard. Almost due to its small size (orientated in landscape) it invites a closer look.
In the image, the foreground is a clear, flat expanse of sand which seems to have been cleared to draw more attention to the middle-ground. In the middle-ground are two small figures of a man and a woman that are lying next to each other on the beach. They are fully and fastidiously clothed according to the era - including hats. The man leans up on one elbow to look over his female companion while her eyes are shut. It strikes me as a very candid pose for the time and it’s also quite intimate as they are in close proximity.
The image can also be seen as funny, due to the sheer amount of clothing worn for the occasion, which signals the historical nature of the image and would not be the case today to the same degree. If they are risking being improper, they certainly don’t care about the state of their clothes. I really admire their audacity.
The background is comparatively busier than the middle-ground, with a range of different figures that are even smaller in scale, because they are further away. One of these is an old lady sitting on something, while being engrossed in reading a book. I don’t know if she quite approves of the couple exactly, but she seems to be content with ignoring her surroundings.
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