View of the North River from the North West Corner of Fort Clinton—West Point 1837

Editor: This is Seth Eastman's "View of the North River from the North West Corner of Fort Clinton—West Point," a watercolor drawing from 1837. It has a quiet, almost melancholic mood to it. What do you see in this piece, beyond the surface level depiction of the Hudson River? Curator: I see a loaded landscape. Eastman was a military man depicting a strategic site, yes, but through an indigenous lens, by his marriage with a Sioux woman and by his intimate knowledge of the community; knowledge which, however, resulted in problematic books on the ‘Indian tribes’. Knowing this intersectional context invites questions about the narrative we're presented with: Whose "view" are we really seeing? How is the romanticized vision complicit with the historical narrative of colonial expansion? Editor: That’s a great point. It challenges the traditional Hudson River School perspective. Curator: Exactly. And think about the implications of framing this landscape – this unceded land – through the visual language of the picturesque, a European import, as settlers continued Westward expansion. Editor: So, it’s not just a pretty landscape. Curator: Not at all. It becomes a complex commentary on land, power, and representation, embedded within a very specific political moment. Considering these tensions transforms the artwork from a passive observation into an active participant in the dialogues around nation-building and its discontents. Editor: Wow, I hadn't considered all of that. I will now wonder about the artist's intention with every landscape I see! Curator: It’s about interrogating those intentions, revealing the stories beneath the surface, acknowledging the multiple perspectives that constitute history.