21. Near Amalfi 1778 - 1779

Editor: This watercolor, "21. Near Amalfi," by John Warwick Smith, presents a picturesque scene. The buildings seem dwarfed by the landscape. What's your take on the relationship between humanity and nature here? Curator: I see a commentary on British colonialism embedded in the picturesque. These landscapes often idealized a subjugated "other," reinforcing a power dynamic. Smith controls the narrative by framing this "untamed" landscape. Editor: So, the beauty is a bit of a facade? Curator: Precisely. It's a visual performance, masking the socio-political realities of the time. The figures almost become props within this constructed fantasy. What do you think? Editor: That gives me a lot to think about. I appreciate that context, it changes the way I see the scene completely. Curator: Absolutely. It's about interrogating whose gaze this landscape serves and the narrative it perpetuates.