A Waterfall. Verso: Study of a Hero’s Head and Arm 

Curator: Romney’s watercolor, "A Waterfall," now in the Tate collection, presents us with a seemingly simple scene. But what does it evoke for you? Editor: Immediately, a sense of the sublime. It’s not just a pretty waterfall; it feels like nature’s raw power, that contrast between the stoic rock and the fleeting water. Curator: Indeed, waterfalls are potent symbols. In Romantic art, they often represent the untamed, the eternal cycle of change and renewal. Editor: And Romney, working in the late 18th century, was certainly part of that Romantic sensibility. The waterfall, as a motif, became a site for projecting the awe and terror that was very fashionable at the time. Curator: Absolutely, but don’t you think the grey tonality subdues the symbolism? Editor: Perhaps. It’s also an exercise in understanding how something like a waterfall could serve as a political metaphor. Curator: A potent reminder that even in nature, what we see is filtered through the lens of our cultural moment. Editor: Precisely. It’s a reminder of how art and nature are never truly separate from the human story.