View of the Yosemite Valley, in California 1865

Editor: Standing before us is Thomas Hill's 1865 oil painting, "View of the Yosemite Valley, in California." It evokes a feeling of serene grandeur, like stepping into a dream. I'm particularly struck by how the light catches the distant mountains. What whispers to you when you look at this landscape? Curator: Well, aren’t we just swimming in beauty here? Hill really nails that Romantic sensibility, doesn’t he? It's that sense of the sublime – nature that overwhelms, inspires, and maybe even scares you a little. It reminds me of how our ancestors must have felt discovering untouched places. And yet, I'm also tickled by the touch of realism. The brushstrokes detailing every leaf on that tree on the right, for example. Do you think Hill saw himself as a recorder of this specific place? Editor: I think so. But he maybe wanted to give a heightened vision. All those lush colors. Curator: Exactly! Like memory playing tricks on you, but in the best possible way. And then, you realize that tiny figures down below at center – emphasizing, on purpose, how gigantic and powerful nature is compared to the person that gazes upon this land. We are so small and insignificant in it's gaze! It's beautiful, but almost overwhelming. You start to imagine actually *being* there… Editor: I hadn't considered the feeling of being overwhelmed, but it makes perfect sense now! I am more impressed than before. Curator: And that, my dear, is the enduring magic of a truly great painting. Thanks, Hill, for giving our imaginations such a great and majestic place to wonder!