College Yard: A View of the Colleges Taken Near the Craigie Bridge 1821

Curator: Alvan Fisher’s "College Yard: A View of the Colleges Taken Near the Craigie Bridge" is a tranquil scene. It's easy to get lost in the details of the architecture. Editor: Those buildings against that sky… It has a sort of hushed, monumental quality. As if knowledge itself is a formidable structure. Curator: I think you're right about that. Fisher, with his careful rendering, seems to want to depict a stable, enduring institution. Do you see the lone figure on horseback? Editor: Yes, a symbol perhaps of individual progress, of ambition fostered by the college. The architecture feels monumental and the scene has an appealing visual calmness. Curator: Calm, yes. It’s a far cry from the chaotic energy you'd expect in a college yard today. Editor: It's a perfect image of the past. I think it reminds us of the enduring importance of place and time in shaping our understanding.