Head of a Baby; verso: Three Small Landscapes 1861

Curator: Here we have a fascinating sketch by Sanford Robinson Gifford, known as "Head of a Baby; verso: Three Small Landscapes". Editor: Wow, it feels like a whisper, doesn't it? The landscape sketches especially; just the barest suggestion of form and light. Curator: Absolutely. Gifford, who lived from 1823 to 1880, made this piece, and it invites us to consider the intersection of domesticity and the grand American landscape in his artistic vision. Editor: I love that the baby portrait isn't even visible here. It makes me wonder what stories are hidden, literally, beneath the surface of these landscapes. Was he thinking of home while sketching these? Curator: It certainly presents a powerful juxtaposition. The intimate, personal study of a child versus the expansive, almost anonymous, scenes of the natural world. The back and forth between the personal and the political always gives artwork depth, to me. Editor: True, true. It’s a reminder that even in the vastness of the landscape, there's always a human story etched somewhere. Thanks for pointing all this out. Curator: My pleasure. It has certainly given me something new to consider about Gifford’s practice!