Felshang, im Vordergrund ein Wasserlauf 

Editor: Here we have Franz Kobell’s ink drawing, "Felshang, im Vordergrund ein Wasserlauf", housed right here in the Städel Museum. It looks to me like a very picturesque and carefully studied landscape. What is your interpretation of this work? Curator: Well, I find it intriguing to consider how this image circulates and the public role it plays here at the Städel. Kobell, primarily known for landscape etchings, provides a seemingly objective view of nature. However, can a landscape drawing ever be truly objective? Editor: That's an interesting question. What do you mean? Curator: Think about the act of selecting this scene. Was Kobell’s choice purely aesthetic, or did cultural values of the time, like the emerging Romantic movement with its appreciation for sublime nature, play a part in what he chose to represent? How does exhibiting landscapes shape our understanding and relationship with nature? Editor: So you are saying that the act of creating, collecting, and displaying landscapes reinforces specific ideologies? Curator: Precisely. Look at how the Städel chooses to frame this piece, the curatorial choices involved in placing it within a larger narrative about German art and the natural world. These landscapes become vehicles for national identity, aesthetic education, and even environmental ethics, even back in Kobell's time. Editor: I see! I was initially drawn to the technical skill in the ink work, but I realize there's so much more at play here regarding how the art world interprets and uses images of nature. Curator: And that is how seemingly simple landscapes hold a mirror to the complex relationship between art, society, and the environment. I always enjoy these pieces for the stories they tell about nature and the people shaping those stories.