View of Chamonix 1842

Curator: This is John Ruskin's "View of Chamonix," housed at the Harvard Art Museums. It presents a tranquil scene, but there's a distinct somber mood hanging over it, wouldn't you say? Editor: Absolutely. It's as if the sepia-toned paper itself dictates the feeling, along with Ruskin's rather muted application of chalk and watercolor. It invites questions about Victorian-era perceptions of nature. Curator: Precisely. Ruskin was deeply invested in the socio-political implications of landscape, particularly its relationship to industrialization and tourism. How did this view of Chamonix get commodified and consumed by the masses? Editor: And let's not forget Ruskin’s commitment to craft! He believed in the moral and social value of handmade objects, rejecting mass production. This work, in its deliberate, painstaking execution, becomes a statement. Curator: I agree, the deliberate layering of the chalk is very much an argument about the value of labor. We're left to ponder its purpose within the art market. Editor: Indeed. It's a deceptively simple landscape, but packed with commentary on society, industry, and the act of creation itself. Curator: A powerful reminder that even quiet landscapes can speak volumes about the world around them. Editor: And about the materials and the making!