Zicht op een stortbeek bij Servoz 1859

Curator: Here we have Eugène Cicéri's 1859 drawing, "View of a Torrent near Servoz," held here at the Rijksmuseum. It's a landscape rendered in drawing on paper. What catches your eye about it? Editor: The cascade of white water emerging from the mountain’s darkness is quite striking; it dominates the composition and speaks to an untamed, perhaps even violent, aspect of nature. Curator: Yes, the contrast is very dramatic. Considering this work emerges from the Romantic era, that sense of sublime awe, the sometimes terrifying grandeur of nature, makes complete sense. Water has always been a profound symbol, and it often signifies purification. Editor: Indeed. And those tiny figures perched amidst the rocks really emphasize nature's scale. One wonders, though, about their relationship to that power. Are they witnessing it, controlling it, or perhaps even disturbing its natural flow? I find it fascinating how often such works excluded Indigenous communities or perspectives of those most immediately impacted by environmental exploitation or erasure during this period. Curator: It’s important to remember how artistic landscapes participated in colonial visions and to consider such gaps in their narratives. Editor: And also how we continue to represent such spaces today. I find the almost monochrome palette lends an austere feeling, a world devoid of immediate comfort and one that reminds us that nature holds forces beyond human manipulation, despite those little figures that suggests otherwise. Curator: Well, whether intentionally or not, the artwork has highlighted those considerations around Romanticism, historical omissions, and contemporary meaning for both of us. Editor: Yes, seeing how it allows us to contextualize both then and now through shifting lenses certainly adds to the experience.