Gezicht vanuit Göschenen op de Gotthardpas 1870 - 1890

Florentin Charnaux captured this photograph of ‘Gezicht vanuit Göschenen op de Gotthardpas’ using a monochromatic palette. It depicts the rough, ascending landscape from Göschenen to the Gotthard Pass. The composition divides the image into three horizontal bands. The foreground, with its coarse texture of rocks and a winding road, gives way to layered, receding mountains in the midground, suggesting depth and scale. The light, hazy sky forms the backdrop, enhancing the contrast and emphasizing the monumentality of the landscape. This photograph uses the semiotic language of romanticism, where nature is depicted as sublime and powerful, dwarfing human presence. The texture and tonal range function as signs, evoking a sense of awe. The photograph challenges our perception of space, compressing vast distances into a single frame. It invites us to contemplate our place within this grand, natural order. The textured foreground and the subtle gradations of light across the mountains serve not only as aesthetic choices, but also as cultural statements about our relationship with the natural world. Meaning is always in flux, re-evaluated with each new viewing.