The Trapper 1914

Editor: We're looking at Sydney Laurence's "The Trapper," an oil painting from 1914. The vast expanse of snow and imposing trees definitely give a sense of isolation. How do you interpret this work in its historical context? Curator: The isolation you perceive speaks volumes about the settler colonial project embedded within this seemingly benign landscape. Laurence romanticizes the trapper's rugged individualism, yet this ideal conveniently obscures the violent displacement and decimation of Indigenous communities intrinsic to westward expansion. Do you notice how the dark figure of the trapper contrasts sharply with the bright, open space? Editor: Yes, he definitely stands out against the snow. It’s almost a silhouette. Curator: Consider that visual prominence. Laurence's deliberate placement directs our gaze, normalizing the trapper's presence, while the historical trauma inflicted upon the land and its original inhabitants fades into the background. Who is written into this landscape, and more importantly, who is written out? The absence of Indigenous figures in this composition functions as an ideological erasure, furthering the myth of the uninhabited frontier ripe for conquest. What is the function of the animal that is dead in front of him? Editor: So, it’s less about the pretty landscape, and more about what's *not* being shown. The animal represents the "conquest of the wilderness"? Curator: Precisely. The dead animal reinforces the idea of human dominance over nature. This relates directly to the concept of “Manifest Destiny,” which legitimized the seizure of Indigenous lands. Do you think celebrating it contributes or challenges that idea? Editor: That makes me look at this painting completely differently. I was just admiring the brushwork. Curator: Which isn't invalid. However, the painterly qualities serve this ideological agenda, framing expansion as both natural and beautiful, obscuring its brutal realities. Editor: Thanks! I'll never look at a landscape painting the same way again. Curator: Exactly. Art is never neutral; it either reinforces or challenges the status quo.