Children Fishing in a Rocky Brook c. 19th century

Curator: This small etching, "Children Fishing in a Rocky Brook," is by Charles André Malardot and is held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels like a memory, doesn't it? The scene is so precisely rendered, yet it has this hazy, dreamlike quality to it. Curator: I think that's partly down to the etching technique, creating textures that are both delicate and quite rich. It was a very popular medium for landscape prints. Editor: The kids almost disappear into the landscape; they're part of that rugged beauty. Are they finding peace there or does the landscape reflect their own scrappy lives? Curator: Interesting point! Certainly, these kinds of images often get caught up in ideas about nature and national identity. Who belongs and what is their relationship to the land? Editor: So this little brook scene, it's really about a whole world of belonging. I love that! Curator: And hopefully, it inspires a little bit of that sense of belonging in you too.