Landscape (from McGuire Scrapbook) 1827 - 1865

John McLenan made this landscape drawing with graphite on paper. McLenan, working in the mid-19th century, lived in a society grappling with rapid industrialization and westward expansion, both of which dramatically reshaped the American landscape. This delicate drawing, part of a scrapbook, is a window into the intimate ways artists engaged with their environment. The sketch-like quality evokes a sense of immediacy, capturing a fleeting moment in nature. The marks suggest an artist trying to transcribe the sublime through nature; those jagged cliffs and slender trees feel like they are yearning toward the heavens. McLenan's choice of landscape as subject matter reflects a broader cultural trend of romanticizing nature. But, by leaving the landscape bare and without figures, McLenan hints at the human impact on the environment and creates a contemplative space for reflecting on our place within the natural world.