Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Falls c. 1884

Curator: Alright, what do you make of this F. Jay Haynes photograph, "Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Falls," from around 1884? Quite a sight, isn't it? Editor: Whoa, it's moody! That canyon just drops away—a raw, sepia-toned gash in the earth. Makes me feel… a bit dizzy, actually. There is no human presence in this work; scale is impressive, but frightening Curator: Interesting. Focusing on form, I note how Haynes uses the converging lines of the canyon walls to draw our eye inexorably towards that central waterfall. Notice how it becomes this vanishing point—a structural pivot, around which the entire composition seems to resolve? Editor: I guess. For me, though, it's more about the… vulnerability of the water, this slender stream navigating those towering cliffs. All that jagged rock; must’ve been tough to lug equipment around! How would people react at that time? Curator: Indeed. Haynes, like his contemporaries in the Hudson River School, capitalised on the sublime, showcasing a landscape that instilled awe and emphasised American expansion and its role to display its treasures and dominance. Observe also, it adheres perfectly to conventional framing through carefully arranged lines. It reinforces established, and, expected, structural forms. Editor: True! You do get a real sense of scale but I wonder, was he aiming to impress or record something, preserve it? It lacks something… What could it have meant to folks who weren’t ever gonna lay eyes on this place otherwise, I wonder? Almost like showing off the nation’s achievements… It leaves me unsure. Curator: Yes. It is as much propaganda as documentation. Nonetheless, he used sharp focus to reveal fine gradations, revealing not only a mastery of tone but also, a technical confidence to produce the sublime in every sense. Editor: Hmm. Fair point about the confidence. For me I think it's the reminder to respect that nature will still persist, though everything will wear away in the end... Makes me think about the temporality of everything that we value. Curator: Well said! Another layer to unpack in what seems a very deep canyon of an artwork indeed. Editor: Precisely. Perhaps that’s the charm here: something technically excellent, even inspirational that asks uncomfortable questions after all.