Gezicht op El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, Californië before 1886

George Fiske captured this view of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, California, using a photographic process that renders the scene in soft monochrome tones. The monumental rock formation dominates the composition, its sheer vertical face rising from a landscape of trees and reflective water. The interplay of light and shadow across the cliff creates a sense of depth and volume. Fiske’s composition employs a formal structure that contrasts the solid, static mass of El Capitan with the dynamic, organic forms of the surrounding nature. Semiotically, El Capitan signifies permanence and the sublime, while the trees and water represent the transient, ever-changing aspects of nature. The photograph engages with the sublime, a concept popular during the nineteenth century. The photograph uses the interplay of light, shadow, and scale to express a deep connection between the natural world and human perception. It invites an ongoing re-interpretation of nature as both a physical reality and a symbolic landscape.