Trail Riders 1929

Editor: We're looking at Levon West’s "Trail Riders," an etching from 1929. It feels very vast and lonely, almost like a scene from a dream. What's your interpretation? Curator: It's evocative, isn't it? On one level, it romanticizes the American West, but consider what's missing. Where are the Indigenous peoples whose land this "trail" traverses? This image participates in a larger narrative, a problematic one, that erases their presence and justifies westward expansion. Editor: So, you see it as perpetuating a certain myth? Curator: Precisely. The print, with its vast, empty landscape, presents a very specific vision of freedom and opportunity, while simultaneously obscuring the violent displacement that made it possible. It makes me wonder who this image was for and what ideologies it was designed to support. Does this give you a different perspective? Editor: Absolutely. It’s not just a landscape; it's an ideological statement. It really prompts a consideration about how we have been conditioned to view the American West. Curator: And how art often plays a role in shaping and reinforcing those views. By understanding this historical and social context, we can begin to have a more critical conversation. Editor: It completely changes how I see the artwork and it makes me question a lot. Thank you.