Klif before 1897

Curator: We’re looking at a print entitled “Klif”, before 1897, by Walter Dwight Wilcox. Editor: It has a very quiet, subdued feel. The landscape is stark. It appears to be two pages from an open book with a faded animal head opposite of a cliff scene. Curator: Wilcox was known for his landscapes, particularly of the Canadian Rockies. It speaks to a fascination of that era with exploration and conquering untamed wilderness through artistic representation. Note the accompanying text discussing climbing techniques to suggest dominance. Editor: The image of the mountain goat blends almost imperceptibly with the page on the left, it lacks crisp lines which conveys that elusiveness which seems fitting to its high alpine habitat. I sense both strength and vulnerability in that faded imagery. It makes the natural imagery more pronounced. Curator: Exactly! It reflects a very specific cultural moment of the time period that had an obsession with "noble savages." While documenting nature was a significant point during the time, many expeditions still participated in resource exploitation to benefit European and colonial economies. This work sits inside that paradox. Editor: So there is a contrast, then, between the solid cliff on one page and that spectral image on the other. The mountain goat is a symbol, a sort of reminder, but the cliff itself is the main subject and also a symbol that the writer's words support, about dominance of nature. Curator: These prints and others of their ilk played a role in shaping the narrative around westward expansion and our relationship with nature. Art often works in such service, or at least it did then. Editor: I am glad that you highlighted its position as a commentary on man versus nature because that's how the symbol of the mountain seems most potent. Thanks for that deep context. Curator: My pleasure! These landscapes can be deceptive, pretty as they are.