Mountain Sketches: a Village, a Waterfall, a Path, and a Lake c. 19th century

Editor: This is Alexandre Calame’s "Mountain Sketches: a Village, a Waterfall, a Path, and a Lake." It feels like a study of different landscape elements. What role did these kinds of sketches play in 19th-century art? Curator: These sketches reflect a shift in the social perception of nature. As industrialization increased, pristine landscapes became symbols of national identity and escape. Editor: So, art became a way to idealize nature? Curator: Precisely. Artists like Calame were instrumental in shaping a romanticized vision of the Alps, which in turn influenced tourism and national pride. This influenced how the public viewed these spaces. Editor: That’s fascinating, I never thought of landscape art having such direct social implications. Curator: Considering the context really opens up the work.