Simplon Pass c. 1850

Editor: This is Turner's "Simplon Pass," held at the Harvard Art Museums. It feels incredibly ethereal, almost dreamlike. The mountains seem to dissolve into the mist. What do you see in this work? Curator: Turner often employed light and atmosphere to convey the sublime power of nature. The Simplon Pass was a crucial route through the Alps, carrying centuries of cultural exchange and military campaigns. Editor: So, the pass itself becomes a symbol? Curator: Precisely. Turner uses the pass to evoke a sense of historical weight, doesn’t he? The dissolving forms and muted colors hint at the passage of time, and the humbling scale of nature. What do you make of this? Editor: It really makes you think about how temporary everything is! Curator: Exactly! These symbols resonate across generations, reflecting the enduring human experience. Editor: That gives me a completely new way of looking at Turner. Curator: It invites us to contemplate time and history.