Canards 

Curator: Immediately, I'm struck by the way the light flickers across the water, creating an intimate scene amidst the dense foliage. Editor: That’s a lovely observation. The work we are looking at is "Canards," created by Karl Bodmer. It's a lithograph and etching print—details we should consider when discussing how meaning is shaped through form. This forest interior scene features ducks in their natural habitat, executed with extraordinary precision. Curator: Precision, yes, but what about power structures at play when a white European artist gazes upon a ‘natural scene?' To whom did these scenes ‘belong’ and who has access? What social narratives are embedded in even ostensibly 'neutral' landscape scenes, especially in this historical period? Editor: That’s a valid perspective, however, I see how the symbolism of the ducks creates an archetype related to grace and flexibility; observe how Bodmer conveys serenity through composition. Curator: I wonder if ‘serenity’ isn't masking something here. Looking through a lens sensitive to power and identity, doesn't it raise questions about the romanticization of 'wilderness' that conveniently erases Indigenous presences, creating an artistic license for claiming territory, or simply promoting a particular image of progress? Editor: Well, certainly landscape has been utilized to serve political and social functions, I grant you that, but it still leaves space to ponder nature’s beauty. Bodmer’s expert handling of line and texture evokes a deep connection to place. And for what it’s worth, ‘Canard’ translated to duck signifies family, and even domesticity – common archetypes rooted in centuries of art-making. Curator: The reading of the landscape as a site loaded with societal dynamics gives "Canards" a whole new range of complexity. Understanding who can speak for it and the relationship to it becomes central. Editor: And, perhaps that interplay between nature and its multilayered interpretations, as explored in the symbol of the duck, may reveal a continuity in art. What is deemed ‘serene’ is not so simple and still impacts current discourses. Curator: That, indeed, is how these types of landscapes continue to influence modern narratives, complicating traditional themes, like the one featured in Bodmer’s work.