Zicht op de Monte Rosa bij Vanzone con San Carlo 1841

Alexandre Calame created this lithograph of the Monte Rosa near Vanzone con San Carlo. Born in Switzerland during a period of political and social upheaval, Calame came of age in the wake of the Napoleonic era. He's known for his dramatic, romanticized landscapes, which often evoke a sense of the sublime power of nature. During this period, the Alps took on a particular cultural significance as symbols of national identity. The mountains became a way for artists to express a kind of authentic, regional identity. In this lithograph, the landscape is rendered in monochromatic tones, which imbue the scene with a timeless, almost dreamlike quality. Calame invites us to reflect on our relationship with the natural world, and consider how we construct cultural and personal meaning through landscape. The scene is meant to inspire awe, but also to ground us in a specific sense of place.