Mountain Jumbo c. 19th century

Theodore J. Richardson’s pastel drawing captures a serene landscape, dominated by the monumental form of a mountain juxtaposed against a tranquil body of water. The soft pastels create a dreamlike atmosphere, the artist has focused on shapes and color to create an almost ethereal visual experience. The composition is structured around a few horizontal bands, balanced by the triangle shape of the mountain, while a wooden dock creates a perspectival line drawing the viewer into the space. The artist uses a semiotic system of landscape and structure with the mountain symbolizing nature’s overwhelming power, and the dock representing human attempts to navigate and interact with the environment. The scale emphasizes the vastness of nature against the small human figures. The drawing functions as more than just a visual record; it operates within a larger discourse about humanity's place in the natural world, and the way we perceive and represent our environment through art.