“Every painting is always two paintings: the one you see, and the one you remember,” says American essayist and novelist SirI Hustvedt. The painting in question for me is Peter Booth’s Painting, 1977—also known as ‘Man with Dog’.
I trace back almost 20 years to my 16-year-old self—slouching over a desk in Oberon High School’s photography studio. I am studying a photocopy of Booth’s , 1977, and trying to understand why this depiction of an apocalyptic scene provides me with a sense of comfort.
