Near Saint Johann in Val Medel c. 18th century

Curator: Before us we have Salomon Gessner's rendering titled "Near Saint Johann in Val Medel". Editor: A bleak landscape! The hatching feels almost frantic, conveying a starkness in this mountainous valley. Curator: Indeed. Gessner, born in 1730, captures a Romantic sensibility here. The meticulous etching emphasizes line, defining form and space. Editor: But consider the materials. Was this printmaking process easily accessible? Who was disseminating these images, and what labor went into their creation? Curator: Irrespective, the composition draws our gaze upward to the imposing peaks—a sublime confrontation with nature's grandeur. Editor: I'm struck by how the cross in the foreground suggests a human presence, yet also humanity's vulnerability against this raw, untamed setting. Curator: Quite. Gessner's etching presents a dialogue between the finite and the infinite. Editor: Seeing it from the perspective of material conditions adds another layer—an understanding of how landscape is not just a visual experience, but a product of human interaction and intervention.