Outline of a Mountain and River View (from Sketchbook) 1857 - 1867

Editor: This is Thomas Hewes Hinckley’s "Outline of a Mountain and River View," created sometime between 1857 and 1867 using pencil on paper. It’s currently at the Met. I find it really calming, even though it's just a sketch. What do you see in this piece? Curator: What strikes me is the implied narrative within this seemingly simple landscape. Consider the context: this was sketched on the cusp of immense social and political upheaval in America. Can a landscape be read as a form of resistance, a turning away from the immediate turmoil towards an idealized, untouched nature? Editor: I never thought of it that way. So, you're saying the artist might have been making a statement by focusing on nature instead of social issues? Curator: Exactly. Think about the Romanticism movement that preceded this. How did artists use landscapes to reflect inner emotional states or to critique industrialization? Hinckley gives us the form, and then allows us to use that as an anchor for ideas related to environmental or social justice. How might access to these idealized landscapes differ based on race or class? Editor: That's a good point. I guess I was just taking it at face value, appreciating the pretty mountains. It's strange how a simple drawing can raise complex issues. Curator: Indeed! And the "outline" itself. Is it an invitation for the viewer to participate, to complete the picture, perhaps even to envision a more equitable relationship with the land? Or, might the artist have abandoned the view? Editor: This has really opened my eyes. I thought I was just looking at a pretty picture, but it’s much more involved than that. I’ll definitely think differently about landscapes from now on. Curator: I'm so glad to hear it. That's the beauty of art: it challenges us to look beyond the surface and engage with the deeper currents of history and meaning.