Intérieur de Forêt 

Karl Bodmer made this forest interior using etching and aquatint. Consider the role of landscape art in the 19th century, especially during a time when industrialization was rapidly changing the natural world. Artists like Bodmer captured nature's sublimity and tranquility, but this idealization also coincided with colonial expansion. Here, we see a hunter with his dog in what appears to be a dense, untouched forest. But who has access to this space? The act of hunting, often associated with the elite, underscores issues of class and land ownership. This brings up questions about how the concept of wilderness is constructed and whose interests it serves. Bodmer's personal experience as a European artist depicting the American frontier adds another layer. His work romanticizes the landscape, but it also elides the displacement and violence inflicted upon indigenous communities. Isn't it true that the most beautiful spaces often have dark histories?