Landschap met zwavelbron (boven), man op de kraterrand van de Sibayakvulkaan (midden) en blokhuis op een vulkaanhelling (onder) op Sumatra before 1898

These three scenes of Sumatra by Carl Kleingrothe, capture landscapes dominated by the raw, untamed energy of volcanoes, symbols of immense power that pierce the earth's surface. Consider the lone figure standing at the edge of the Sibayak volcano's crater, a visual echo of man versus nature, resonating with the Romantic era's fascination with the sublime. We see a motif that reappears across cultures: the individual confronting the overwhelming forces of the natural world. Think of Caspar David Friedrich's wanderers gazing into abysses. These symbols are not static. Volcanoes have morphed in our collective psyche, from dwelling places of gods and demons, to geological wonders, and today, indicators of environmental change. This metamorphosis is reflected in how we see these images, colored by our ever-shifting anxieties and understandings. The volcano, once a symbol of divine wrath, now embodies the precarious balance of our planet.