The Covered Rocks 1640

Curator: This etching by Laurent de La Hyre, created around 1640, is titled "The Covered Rocks." Editor: My immediate reaction is to the use of delicate lines to convey this sense of untouched nature. There's something almost melancholy in its solitude. Curator: Solitude is a compelling word here. Considering the socio-political landscape of 17th century France, this seemingly simple landscape drawing offers a subtle critique of courtly life. By depicting a raw, natural scene, La Hyre might be suggesting a different kind of power, one inherent in the land itself. Editor: Absolutely, it reads as deeply symbolic. Water often represents the subconscious, a space for reflection, while the covered rocks—do they hide secrets? Are they barriers? And look at the direction of the bird flight; it indicates freedom. Curator: It's an insightful reading. And La Hyre would likely be familiar with similar landscapes through the lens of the Dutch Golden Age, as the exchange of ideas between Northern and Southern Europe was common at the time. What resonates to me is how even ostensibly objective categories such as “landscape” reflect very real ideologies. La Hyre's classical leanings, filtered through his lived reality, are creating new interpretations of space itself. Editor: So it is interesting, too, that it's so monochrome in an era that's becoming more elaborate. Is he consciously evoking a kind of austerity, or an older set of beliefs through such a style? Are the birds heading back home, and what is 'home', both literally, and symbolically? Curator: Exactly. In our time, what constitutes “landscape,” in the twenty-first century carries its own ideological freight, in conversations of ownership, natural resources, privatization, and extraction. I think it is imperative we keep these questions in mind while looking at La Hyre. Editor: The persistence of landscape is a testament to our continuous desire to both comprehend and emotionally connect with the world around us, and each other. Curator: Indeed. Perhaps these covered rocks remind us to probe the symbols and deeper contexts, questioning all things we take for granted, just as La Hyre invites us to question appearances and discover hidden layers.