Ansicht von Subiaco, im Vordergrund eine Brücke 

Editor: Carl Morgenstern's watercolor and ink drawing, "View of Subiaco, with a Bridge in the Foreground," presents a serene Italian landscape. There's something very gentle about the hues used; the hills almost seem to fade into the sky. How would you interpret this piece? Curator: It's funny you say that! When I look at Morgenstern's view, I imagine him, perched somewhere with his sketchbook, utterly lost in the beauty. The hazy atmosphere does soften the mountains, true, but I also sense a quiet power there, a feeling of timelessness that comes through in the architectural details, the ancient bridge standing firm, the landscape a witness to centuries. Does that bridge connect past and future, perhaps? Or is it simply there, being its stoic bridge-self, watching the world go by? Editor: I hadn't thought about the architecture telling a story like that. So the bridge isn’t just a detail in the background? Curator: Not at all! Notice how your eye is drawn to it. Then consider that water symbolizes the passage of time. By contrasting these features Morgenstern gives us something both still and dynamic. What do you make of that? Editor: Interesting, I didn’t make that connection! Now I wonder, what other layers I missed in other landscape paintings! Thanks! Curator: You're most welcome. Now, let’s go look at another, and see where our wandering minds take us!