Yosemite 

Curator: So, here we have a sweeping vista of Yosemite, crafted with oils, by Thomas Hill. The date’s a little uncertain, which only adds to its mystique, don't you think? Editor: Mystique, yes! Also, instant goosebumps! Those rock faces practically punch you in the gut, in a good way. Monumental! I feel like I'm shrinking, or maybe expanding to fill the whole scene? Curator: Thomas Hill belonged to the Hudson River School, a group that very deliberately promoted an ideal of the American landscape. They believed depictions like these shaped ideas about national identity, territorial expansion, the sublime… Editor: Expansion. Exactly. The wide-open invitation! The smoke from the little campfire hints at that: human ambition set against the immensity of it all. It is that campfire for a reason I believe. What do you think? Curator: I agree it's crucial. That element anchors the vastness to a human scale, and its careful placement underscores the narratives of pioneering and westward movement inherent in Hudson River School art. And it’s a subtle reference to the politics of manifest destiny. Editor: Hmm. "Manifest Destiny" makes it sound a bit… foreboding, doesn't it? When I look at it, despite the small figures, I also think, ‘Whoa, nature’s still boss here!’ That towering granite gets the final word in this epic poem! Curator: But that power—the awesome scale—is what also spoke to this nation’s potential for power, a new Eden that some felt was divinely ordained to dominate. The indigenous people who had lived there for millenia? Marginalized in the popular consciousness, and largely absent in these types of artworks. Editor: That gives me pause. And you’re right, of course. Beauty can blind you sometimes. But maybe paintings like this can at least remind us of the grand theatre we play our tiny parts in. Curator: Exactly. Understanding how images like "Yosemite" both celebrated and participated in shaping our historical consciousness is essential. Editor: Absolutely. Even a little ego check tucked in among the pretty colours can’t hurt, can it?