Waterval nabij Odda aan de Hardangerfjord, Noorwegen 1861 - 1870

Editor: Here we have Knud Knudsen's "Waterval nabij Odda aan de Hardangerfjord, Noorwegen", which roughly translates to Waterfall near Odda on the Hardangerfjord, Norway. It's an albumen print that appears to date from sometime between 1861 and 1870. It strikes me as incredibly composed, a very formal, almost symmetrical framing of wild nature. How would you interpret this work? Curator: A question of visual syntax. Note the photograph's binary structure, divided cleanly into two stereo images. The waterfalls mimic each other. On the lower left and right are constructed dwellings which appear similar. What effect is achieved from this organization? Editor: I suppose it's trying to tame this sublime force of nature, water falling off a cliff. I do see a kind of repetition that creates a familiar, comforting aesthetic. But then why choose such a grandiose subject in the first place? Curator: Grandiose, but observe Knudsen’s focus on tonality and texture. The meticulous rendering of the waterfall's cascading form. He contrasts the geometric cabin, to the softer foliage. Consider this early form of photography, which is being used to document this landscape in a seemingly "objective" manner, what we'd now consider artifice? Editor: Is the appeal here, then, less about pure representation, and more about... form? The contrasting forms of water and log cabins? Curator: Precisely! Note how the composition guides the eye. It's almost as if the photograph self-reflexively reveals the components used to portray it, simultaneously demonstrating its form and formation. An ontological question, perhaps, posed through photographic form? Editor: This work asks how the way an image is put together defines its effect? That's amazing. Now I'm wondering if I see that intent throughout the Romantic landscapes from the 1800s. Curator: Yes, consider that now as you continue to explore images during the Romantic period!