Buspa Valley, Gangootri; Snowy Peaks Near Gangootri, from Bhairamghati c. 1867

Curator: Just look at this striking landscape! This is Samuel Bourne's photograph, “Buspa Valley, Gangootri; Snowy Peaks Near Gangootri, from Bhairamghati.” Editor: My first impression is of a world teeming with ancient secrets, a sacred grove perhaps. It's as if these trees guard the gateway to something…untouchable. Curator: Bourne was a master of capturing the sublime. His work, often created on arduous expeditions, also reveals the complicated history of the British presence in India. How do you see this tension playing out here? Editor: Absolutely. Bourne's image is not just a landscape, but a loaded document. Consider the colonial gaze that framed this "untouched" vista, or the environmental impact his expeditions must have had. Curator: Precisely! Perhaps by acknowledging these complexities, we can move toward a more nuanced and historically informed appreciation. Editor: Yes, by viewing art as a catalyst for conversations about power, privilege, and responsibility.