River Landscape with Town on Far Shore 

Curator: This delicate watercolour is titled "River Landscape with Town on Far Shore" by Edwin Austin Abbey. What are your first impressions? Editor: A dreamscape. The pale blues and browns blend, creating a hazy, almost ethereal feeling. It's so quiet and muted; a real escape. Curator: Indeed. It is representative of the late 19th-century trend toward impressionistic landscapes, with an emphasis on light and atmosphere rather than sharp detail. These works provided middle class people the possibility to think and discuss social stratification. Editor: The sailboats feel almost ghost-like, distant and fading. Was this intentional, perhaps alluding to a commentary about capitalism. I’m thinking that they might have been there as luxury ships. The town is a pale whisper along the horizon. Curator: Absolutely. Abbey was a successful illustrator before turning to such watercolors. Therefore it might have something to say. While the impressionistic style valued immediacy, the commercial art world favored idealized representations. The piece seems in line with popular narratives around beauty and pleasure available for anyone at the time. Editor: It strikes me how passive and inviting the landscape is. Almost like beckoning us. Could this relate to discourses of empire? I can almost feel how they treated indigenous peoples, and then took it for themselves, while claiming an idyllic view for all? Curator: This invites further interpretation regarding what kind of cultural identity such painting encouraged. Abbey enjoyed significant patronage. His work in illustrating Shakespeare’s plays was widely celebrated. He then served public roles, often creating works with popular messages. This would add weight to your claim about colonial ideologies! Editor: It speaks to art’s constant role, for better or worse, in society. I'm sure we will be exploring further works along these themes throughout our museum tour. Curator: Let’s do it! On to our next analysis.