Small Landscape; verso: Landscape 1864

Curator: Here we have Sanford Robinson Gifford’s “Small Landscape; verso: Landscape,” a pencil sketch on paper. Editor: There's a stark, almost desolate quality to this sketch, despite its diminutive size—less than 5 by 3 inches. Curator: Gifford, active in the mid-19th century, often sketched landscapes en plein air. These studies then informed his larger, more finished paintings. Understanding the context of the Hudson River School, his approach reflects the romantic nationalism of the time. Editor: The composition, though, it’s really the framework here. The tonal gradations, the balance of light and shadow… it's far more than just a preliminary study. It evokes a certain sublime quality. Curator: And we can consider that the “sublime” experience in nature was often tied to ideas of Manifest Destiny and westward expansion. Editor: Indeed, but look at the economy of line! It's a masterclass in capturing form and atmosphere. Curator: It gives us insight into the cultural values projected onto the American landscape. Editor: A fleeting moment, yet so meticulously rendered. Curator: A landscape imbued with ideology.