Spring at Cadenabbia 

John Collier painted *Spring at Cadenabbia*, using oil on canvas, and presents a vista dominated by cool blues and greens offset by the brown trunk of a prominent tree. Its branches reach across the canvas, partially obscuring the distant landscape. Collier’s composition divides the canvas into distinct horizontal zones. The foreground is dominated by the vertical tree trunk, creating a screen through which the viewer observes the scene. The middle ground features the tranquil lake, dotted with small sailboats that suggest movement and activity. In the distance, the blurred, muted mountains provide a backdrop, their peaks softly meeting the sky. The structure directs our gaze, inviting us to consider how constructed viewpoints shape our understanding and appreciation of nature. It reminds us that what we see is always mediated, challenging the idea of a purely objective landscape.