Morning c. 18th century

Curator: John Peltro’s engraving, entitled "Morning," offers us a serene landscape, teeming with both natural and architectural elements. Editor: The composition strikes me immediately—the dark foreground foliage frames a gentler scene, almost like a stage curtain being drawn. Curator: Indeed. The strategic placement of light and shadow directs our gaze toward the central, almost mythic, mountain in the distance. The mirroring of forms—trees on the left balancing the building on the right—establishes a visual harmony. Editor: And the figures! Don't overlook the shepherd and his companion. Could they represent innocence and experience—archetypes set against this idealized backdrop? The sheep drinking in the river also speaks of an idealized pastoral scene. Curator: Perhaps. Or it could be a symbol of the simple life, away from the city with all its industry. Editor: That, too. It's this interplay of elements—the natural with the man-made, the light with the shadow—that gives the image its symbolic richness. Curator: It is in this very layering that the art becomes not merely a depiction but an evocation of our relationship to the world around us. Editor: Absolutely, and examining those relationships offers endless insight.