The Delaware, East Branch, Walton, 1871 (from Sketchbook) 1870

Editor: This delicate ink and pencil drawing is "The Delaware, East Branch, Walton, 1871 (from Sketchbook)," created by Daniel Huntington around 1870. It’s currently housed at the Met. It feels so open and expansive, even though it's a fairly small piece. I’m curious – what draws you to this particular work? Curator: The feeling you get from the expanse, that's it exactly, isn’t it? I look at it, and I imagine Huntington, maybe swatting at a mosquito or two, perched right there by the riverbank. He is seizing the feeling of being enveloped by nature. I wonder if he felt some special connection to the Delaware, its presence so grand yet calm, a silent mirror reflecting the sky, and, if you really let your mind go there, reflecting Huntington’s soul as well. Do you notice how quickly he captured that moment? Editor: It's incredible. You can almost feel the breeze just looking at the sketch. So, plein-air lends a certain intimacy... almost immediacy to the final work, correct? Curator: Precisely. Huntington isn't striving for meticulous detail but chasing after an essence, that ephemeral breath of the outdoors. It’s Romanticism distilled, would you agree? Raw nature but with something bigger simmering within it, more meaningful than scenery alone. And tell me, what whispers do you hear? Editor: I like your suggestion of simmering! The drawing evokes a sense of serenity for me. But the mountains in the background hint at something grander. The scale juxtaposition is, indeed, an excellent way to express Romanticism ideals. Curator: It’s about capturing what the landscape makes you *feel*, and the vastness humbles and maybe inspires, right? It all becomes a testament to the emotional impact of nature, so skillfully achieved with only the barest strokes of ink and pencil. What do you make of that simplicity? Editor: That's great to remember! I suppose the simplicity reinforces that notion, how it truly allows you to experience something profound! Curator: And it all circles back to the magic of nature itself – less can truly be more.