The "Grand Paradis," Grajan Alps c. 1885

Curator: This is Vittorio Sella's photograph, "The 'Grand Paradis,' Grajan Alps" currently housed at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Wow, it feels like a stark dreamscape. Those peaks jutting out... it’s all drama, light, and shadow. Curator: Sella was celebrated for capturing the majesty of mountains. His work aligned with the late 19th-century fervor for exploration. Editor: Exploration but also... isolation. The monochrome tones amplify that feeling. The sheer scale makes you feel insignificant, you know? Curator: Absolutely. He created meticulously composed images that served both scientific documentation and romantic ideals. Editor: It's like a black-and-white opera. Majestic but also a little sad, as if the mountains are eternally alone in their grandeur. Curator: A fitting impression. Sella’s images remind us of both our insignificance and our boundless aspirations. Editor: True. Makes you wonder what's over the next crest, and what it all means...