Shore of the Trombetas 1854 - 1869

George Catlin created "Shore of the Trombetas" using oil on canvas. Immediately, one is struck by the density of the composition, where the massed greens of the jungle dominate the oval canvas, bordered by a lighter ground. This contrast draws our eye into the depths of the foliage. Catlin’s arrangement uses the interplay of light and dark to create depth, but it also hints at a deeper structural complexity. The semiotic system at play here is one of exploration and discovery, but also hints at the colonial gaze. How does Catlin frame this encounter? Consider the very shape of the canvas, an oval, which acts as a kind of porthole or lens through which we view this "new world". The figures in the foreground become almost incidental, dwarfed by the landscape. Through composition, Catlin seems to emphasize the overwhelming, almost impenetrable nature of the landscape, creating a sense of wonder, but also of potential alienation. By framing it in this way, the work destabilizes any straightforward narrative.