The Olympian Range c. 19th century

Curator: So, here we have "The Olympian Range," a c. 19th century etching by Alexander Schilling. Editor: Wow, that's...quiet. The etching reminds me of old photographs, with its sepia tones creating a serene but also slightly melancholic atmosphere. It's so still, like the lake's holding its breath. Curator: Absolutely, there's a sense of captured history within it. Schilling used the etching process—a method involving acid to cut lines into a metal plate—to generate multiples. We can really see that interplay between landscape, Romanticism, and the burgeoning sense of Realism present in 19th century art production. Editor: Thinking about it that way makes it even more evocative! I see the landscape, of course, but knowing about the reproductive nature of printmaking gives this landscape a tangible connection to nineteenth century commodification of nature and picturesque tourism! But even though I understand how prints were consumed in that era, I’m still caught by the immediacy, that etched line giving it such lovely atmospheric haze. It's the kind of piece you could look at for ages and always find new textures. Curator: Exactly. The textures give it a very tangible quality; you can almost feel the roughness of the rocks and the stillness of the water. It makes you ponder about the artistic skill versus the industry behind its making. Editor: True, though in the end, I think this work transcends that question by prompting reflection of my place within this scene. That initial sense of stillness I noticed makes the human presence almost ghostly within the space, doesn't it? Like a long-lost memory. Curator: Perhaps that memory prompts us to reflect more keenly on our current relation with this depicted natural vista. Considering how landscapes have been modified since the making of this print is rather humbling. Editor: Indeed. It makes one hope landscapes of this stillness endure through time and across modes of artmaking!