Landscape 1677 - 1749

This landscape painting, its origins now lost to us, resides here at the SMK. There’s an intense romanticism at play as the artist grapples with the natural world. The solitary building, rendered in solemn tones, evokes a sense of the sublime. The wildness of nature, a concept long imbued with notions of purity, stands in contrast to the marks of human existence. As we contemplate the artwork, it's important to consider what it means to portray nature, particularly in a time when we are so aware of the human impact on the environment. How does our understanding of identity and place shift when we recognize the profound effects of human actions on even the most seemingly untouched landscapes? What stories and histories might remain hidden within these landscapes, waiting to be acknowledged and understood?