Florida 

Thomas Moran created the painting "Florida" during a period of significant cultural transformation, when the romantic vision of landscape was used to promote American expansion and shape national identity. Here, a solitary figure with a rifle walks along the beach towards a barely visible boat, highlighting the themes of exploration and conquest which often mask the displacement and erasure of Indigenous peoples. Moran's vision of Florida, with its soft light and tranquil scenery, romanticizes the landscape, obscuring the complex history of colonization and conflict. The painting invites us to reflect on how landscape art can both celebrate the beauty of nature and perpetuate problematic narratives about land ownership and cultural dominance. How do these idyllic scenes conceal the realities of power dynamics? What do they omit?