Landscape with a Distant Mountain Range 

John Gendall made this watercolor landscape sometime in the first half of the 19th century. Gendall was a British artist, but spent a significant portion of his career in France as an art dealer and painter of architectural views. This watercolor creates meaning through its depiction of the natural world. The sublime mountain range looms over the landscape, rendered in soft, muted tones. Gendall's choice of watercolor as a medium lends itself well to capturing the atmospheric effects of light and distance. This was a period when artists turned to landscape for its own sake, as a subject worthy of contemplation, in distinction from its earlier role as a mere backdrop for historical or mythological narratives. To fully appreciate this work, one might delve into the art market of early 19th century Europe. How did institutions shape artistic production and reception? Exploring the aesthetic and social values will help us understand its meaning as something contingent on its social and institutional context.