From the Catskills Looking South (from Sketchbook) 1834 - 1838

"From the Catskills Looking South" is a sketch made by John William Casilear, sometime in the mid-19th century, with graphite on paper. Casilear was part of the Hudson River School, a group of landscape painters who were influenced by Romanticism. During this period, the idea of wilderness became tied to American identity, even as the concept of Manifest Destiny drove westward expansion and displaced indigenous populations from their ancestral lands. In this sketch, the artist seems to search for a kind of authenticity. There's a desire to connect with nature, yet the carefully chosen viewpoint and composition remind us that this is a constructed scene, shaped by a particular way of seeing. How does the artist’s gaze, as an outsider, impact our understanding of this landscape, and whose stories are left untold?