Walnut Ridge, New York 1851

Editor: This is Sanford Robinson Gifford's pencil sketch, "Walnut Ridge, New York." It’s quite a simple landscape, almost serene. What strikes you most about it? Curator: The deceptive simplicity of this landscape sketch belies its complex historical context. Consider the Hudson River School, of which Gifford was a part: they were painting an idealized vision of the American landscape even as westward expansion and industrialization were rapidly transforming it, and often at the expense of indigenous populations. How does this knowledge change your perception of the work? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way. It’s like a beautiful facade hiding a more difficult truth. Curator: Precisely. It invites us to question whose stories are being told and whose are being erased in these romanticized depictions of nature. A poignant reminder of the intersection between art, history, and social justice. Editor: Thank you, I will definitely think about it differently from now on.