Wohnturm am Stadtring in Oberwesel 

Editor: This drawing, "Wohnturm am Stadtring in Oberwesel" by Peter Becker, appears to be a pencil landscape study. The lines are delicate, almost hesitant. What story do you think this sketch is telling us? Curator: I see a representation of power dynamics embedded in landscape. Consider the "Wohnturm," a watchtower; historically, who held power, who needed watching, and from whom was protection sought? The Romantic ideal often divorces landscape from its socio-political context, but can we afford to ignore the implications of fortifications like this? What social strata benefitted from this structure? Editor: So, it's more than just a pretty landscape? The watchtower speaks to inequality? Curator: Precisely. Becker, consciously or not, documents a site of surveillance. Architecture embodies ideology; landscape enshrines social relationships. The choice of pencil, a readily accessible medium, further democratizes the image. Who now views the view, and from what perspective? This tower has changed across time, reflecting power struggles. The very act of observation has shifted due to changing historical lenses. Editor: That gives me a lot to consider, because I hadn’t thought of that watchtower as representing power, but of course it is, like walls always are. Curator: Walls are boundaries, yes. And those boundaries often exclude people or, just as problematically, confine them. Seeing art through the lens of who it serves makes one consider new, critical directions. Editor: I will definitely look at landscape art with a different perspective now. Thank you for helping me engage in these crucial narratives!