Landscape Number 21 c. 19th century

Curator: Alexandre Calame, a Swiss artist born in 1810, created this piece, "Landscape Number 21." Doesn't it just breathe with a certain solemnity? Editor: It does have that romantic era weightiness, doesn't it? All that sublime nature...but I wonder, who exactly benefits from these idealized landscapes? Curator: Well, perhaps the viewer, transported to a tranquil space. There's a real beauty in the dramatic light and the textures he coaxes from the medium. Editor: Beauty, yes, but also exclusion. These vistas often mask the labor and displacement inherent to their creation and consumption. Curator: I can appreciate that perspective. Still, I'm drawn to the craftsmanship, the artist's hand so evident in the detailed rendering of the waterfall and trees. Editor: And that craftsmanship served particular ideologies. These landscapes reinforced notions of national identity and ownership. Curator: Maybe. Or maybe it was Calame's way of connecting with something larger than himself. Editor: Perhaps both, or neither, it gives us something to think about. Curator: Exactly, it's still lovely, after all.