Landscape Number 103 c. 19th century

Editor: This is Alexandre Calame's "Landscape Number 103," made sometime between 1810 and 1864. It has a rather melancholic feel. What do you make of its cultural context? Curator: It's crucial to consider 19th-century Romanticism. Landscape painting became a site for exploring national identity and the sublime. How do you see this work engaging with ideas of power and nature? Editor: I hadn’t considered power. It feels more about quiet contemplation than dominance. Curator: Perhaps, but consider the historical context. The subjugation of nature often mirrored the era's colonial ambitions. Who gets to experience this landscape, and at what cost? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn’t fully appreciated before. Thank you!