A Farewell, Lake of Como II c. 19th century

Editor: This is Robert Wallis's "A Farewell, Lake of Como II," from the Harvard Art Museums. It seems like an etching, and it's so small! It feels very distant and a little melancholic. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The tiny scale itself becomes significant. Doesn't it evoke a sense of preciousness, like a memory held close? The lake, the mountains... landscapes are often charged with symbolism of journeys, both physical and spiritual. What might "farewell" signify here, beyond a simple goodbye? Editor: Maybe the end of a chapter? Or a nostalgic look back? Curator: Precisely! The image becomes a vessel for our own experiences of departure and remembrance. Editor: That's a powerful connection. I'll definitely think about landscapes differently now. Curator: Indeed, visual symbols echo our personal stories.