Shenandoah River 

Curator: Oh, the drama! My first thought seeing this is "powerful," in all senses of the word. A painting by Thomas Moran, probably executed with oils. A grand river in nature... Editor: Correct, although it appears to be unsigned and undated. Art historians attribute this work to Thomas Moran; we have tentatively titled the piece, "Shenandoah River" and it is composed with oil paint, reflective of both the Romanticism and Hudson River School movements. The Hudson River School emphasized the grandeur of American landscapes, imbuing nature with a sense of divine presence, wouldn't you agree? Curator: Absolutely. You know, I'm immediately drawn to the interplay of light and shadow. Look at how the sun cuts through those tumultuous clouds, illuminating the cascading water. It’s almost theatrical, isn't it? Like a stage set. The rocks on the bank feel almost like players to the act itself! I almost hear Wagnerian music seeing this painting, maybe it just seems like "Rheinfall bei Schaffhausen", even if that is the Rhine river... Editor: The sublimity of nature was key here for artists like Moran and Friedrich, speaking to the observer’s awe with, for example, the untamable, perhaps even ferocious presence in such scale of falls and mountain side in tandem. It mirrors humankind's position, both infinitesimal and influential in this complex ecosystem, don't you agree? Curator: That's a powerful idea, very well. Though I'm still captivated by how… constructed it feels. You've got this foreground that is very dark with detail giving way to the wild, almost blinding expanse of water, with an almost fortress-like geological construction overlooking this water expanse; that deliberate composition, right? Editor: That construction could be interpreted as the very human desire to contain or understand the raw force of nature. I appreciate that Moran left that story up to us, so to speak. It's like, on one level we can control this primal force to some degree. Curator: Hmm, yes I agree with you. On a primal level, we still react and consider nature as one with deep connection to mankind, so while the fortress watches, water goes by regardless and we stand back as witnesses to time itself. A pretty good message indeed. Editor: Right, it becomes more than just a picture, it turns into meditation, a connection, don’t you think? Well, I'm glad we had this time with it together.