Landscape Number 77 c. 19th century

Editor: This is Alexandre Calame's "Landscape Number 77," housed here at Harvard. The monochrome palette gives it a somber, almost romantic feel. What symbols do you see at play in this work? Curator: Notice how the mountain looms, a universal symbol of aspiration and challenge, but also stability. Consider the cascading water—a sign of constant change, of time's passage, yet also of purification. Editor: So, the mountain represents permanence and the water flux? Curator: Precisely. And the forest? A space of mystery, perhaps of the subconscious. Calame masterfully intertwines these symbols. What do you make of the absence of human figures? Editor: That's interesting. It emphasizes nature's power and perhaps our small place within it. Curator: A beautiful observation. It’s through understanding these visual symbols that we can truly grasp the emotional weight of Calame's work.