Farm Landscape with Mountains 19th-20th century

Editor: This is Denman Waldo Ross's "Farm Landscape with Mountains." It's a quaint scene, but those looming mountains give it an imposing feel. What symbols resonate with you in this landscape? Curator: Notice how the mountains, archetypes of permanence and strength, contrast with the humble farmhouse. The mountains speak to something eternal, don't they? And the house is a symbol of human habitation, of history. Editor: So the mountains are timeless, and the house is time-bound? Curator: Precisely. Perhaps this painting is asking: what traces will we leave against the face of eternity? What stories will our symbols tell? Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way, but I understand the juxtaposition much better now. Thanks!