Rocks Called Piclerings Tower and Steeples in Doveland c. 19th century

Curator: This is "Rocks Called Piclerings Tower and Steeples in Doveland" by M.S. Barenger, housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It has the quiet dignity of old stone. I see ancient things, weathered and enduring, rendered in delicate strokes. Curator: Yes, the geological forms are interesting for their relationship to labor and tourism. This piece could have been commissioned to promote the region's natural resources. Editor: I feel a strange sense of being both grounded and lifted up by it. The artist has managed to capture that tension perfectly. Curator: The technical skill in creating varied textures with line work alone speaks to a deep engagement with printmaking as craft, not just art. Editor: You're right, there's something almost reverential in the way the artist observes and translates these rocks. Curator: Exactly. The commodification of landscape as both aesthetic experience and resource to be exploited. Editor: It makes you think about time, doesn't it? How we affect the landscape, and how it affects us.