View of the Churfirsten Mountain Range, Switzerland 1887

Editor: This is Denman Waldo Ross's "View of the Churfirsten Mountain Range, Switzerland." It's a delicate pencil drawing. I'm curious, what do you see in this piece? Curator: I notice the immediate connection between the artist and the landscape through the directness of the pencil on paper. The material record emphasizes labor and the act of observing and recording. How does this relate to other modes of production in Switzerland at the time? Did the artist see and treat the landscape as a resource? Editor: That's a really interesting point. It makes me wonder about the cultural implications of representing nature in this way. Curator: Exactly. Examining the material choices opens up questions about the artist's role, the accessibility of materials, and the social implications of landscape depiction. Editor: I hadn't considered the drawing itself as a form of production. Curator: Right? Focusing on the material conditions gives us a new way to consider it. Editor: Thanks, this has really changed how I see the drawing.