Landscape (recto and verso) 1852

Curator: Here we have a landscape sketch by Sanford Robinson Gifford. Notice how the graphite captures a tranquil scene of mountains and water. Editor: It's funny, the empty page beside it almost feels crucial. Like a before-and-after meditation. Curator: Indeed! The very emptiness emphasizes the potential within the scene. Gifford, like many artists, was fascinated by light and atmosphere. Light is the literal messenger in many of the Hudson River School paintings, connecting man and the divine. Editor: I can definitely feel that in the light airy touch that he has. It's like a visual sigh. You can feel the air. Curator: This image really does illustrate how sketches function as vessels carrying not only visual data, but also feeling and a moment in time. Editor: It does make you wonder about the artist, what he was thinking, and what he felt standing in the moment.