Landschap in Siberië 1782 - 1811

Andreas Stöttrup created this print, 'Landscape in Siberia,' around the turn of the 19th century. The Age of Exploration was in full swing, and Siberia, with its vast, untouched landscapes, captured the European imagination. Here, Stöttrup depicts not just a landscape, but a narrative laden with the power dynamics of the time. The two figures in the foreground, seemingly observing the settlement below, suggest an act of surveying or claiming. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Siberia was used as a place of exile. The village becomes a potent symbol of displacement. The geological formations towering in the background add a layer of dramatic tension, hinting at the sublime power of nature, which dwarfs human presence. This artwork is a visual document of how cultural narratives about place and identity are constructed and reinforced through representation. The image invites us to reflect on our own positions as viewers, implicated in a history of exploration and its complex legacies.