Landscape c. 19th century

Curator: This is Louis Marvy’s "Landscape," currently residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It strikes me as intensely Romantic. Look at the layering of light and shadow, the pastoral gathering in the background. Curator: Observe how Marvy manipulates tonal values to create depth. The surface of the water, its dark reflectiveness, it is key to understanding the work. Editor: Indeed. Consider also, though, how the rise of the bourgeoisie allowed for leisure and thus scenes such as these became marketable. Curator: The subject is secondary to the composition. The balance between the trees on either side, the centralized water, it all lends to a sense of idyllic order. Editor: I wonder, though, about the accessibility of such scenes and whether Marvy critiques or celebrates the social climate. Curator: Interesting! It’s the formal arrangement of elements that captivates me most. Editor: And I, the social implications of such arrangements.