Trees by a River 1838

Curator: Alexandre Calame’s etching, "Trees by a River," made in 1838, strikes me as quite serene, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Serene? Initially, I read it as a study in the process of mark-making, the kind you get with printmaking. It feels… industrious, the landscape almost a by-product. The materials themselves shout their presence: paper, ink, etched lines... Curator: I can see that. You're drawn to the labor, the printmaking itself. For me, the atmospheric quality rises above that. There's a softness in the reflection on the water that tempers the relative rigidity of etched lines used in the landscape beyond. Editor: Interesting tension, isn’t it? Calame is mediating two very different approaches. Landscape painting often represented the sublime untamed world. How do we relate to nature via the mechanical act of production in etching? It looks like Calame might have used different tools. I wonder, how were the tools sourced and what was the status of metal working at the time of its making? These industrial methods influence the representation of this seemingly natural scene, eh? Curator: True. And perhaps even enhanced. The reproduction possible with an etching allowed the images to circulate more widely and the relative reproducibility of landscape allows it to appeal to emerging notions of national identity... Editor: Like turning feelings into commodities, in a sense. Mass consumption of sentiment. And thinking of it more formally, notice how the concentration of work builds volume, it pushes forward and then it thins and releases around that area of reflection which cleverly draws us in and through! Curator: Yes, precisely! I like how you framed that—from process to reception to interpretation—really emphasizes both the context of its creation and lasting impact. Editor: And you highlighted the feeling that Calame creates through contrasts of form. Beautiful.