Sugar Maple, Adirondacks 1879

Editor: This is Andrew Fisher Bunner's "Sugar Maple, Adirondacks," made in 1879 using ink on paper. I'm really struck by the detail in the tree itself, how it's set against a much simpler background. What can you tell me about it? Curator: It's fascinating to consider the labor involved in creating such intricate detail with ink. Notice how the very act of depicting this scene elevates the tree, turning nature, in a way, into a commodity to be observed and enjoyed by the viewer. What do you think the implications are, especially given the Adirondacks were becoming a popular tourist destination? Editor: I see what you mean. It’s like the drawing itself participates in the commercialization of the landscape. Is the choice of medium—ink on paper—significant, as opposed to, say, oil paint? Curator: Absolutely. Ink, as a more immediate medium, lends itself to documentation and perhaps even mass reproduction, think of magazines, thus contributing to broader distribution and consumption of this idyllic imagery. It invites us to question the very means by which landscapes were experienced and shared in that era. Editor: So, it's not just about representing the tree, but also about how that representation circulates and affects our understanding of nature as something to be consumed? Curator: Precisely. Consider the contrast between the seemingly untouched nature depicted and the reality of the timber industry’s presence nearby. The drawing presents an edited, commodified version of nature for public consumption, hiding the extraction. Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way before. I’m so used to thinking about the artistic skill and emotion in a work, I didn't stop to think about the labor behind it. Thank you. Curator: Seeing how artistic choices are rooted in socio-economic conditions helps us look past face value to examine what isn't being said, or depicted, in a work of art.