Les biches 

Curator: The subtle greys really strike me. It gives the landscape a feeling of quiet solitude, even with the deer present. Editor: Indeed. What we're looking at is a print, more specifically, an etching entitled "Les Biches." It's the work of Karl Bodmer. He's mostly known for documenting the American West. Seeing this is slightly different; it places animals front and center against the horizon. Curator: I see this and wonder, what type of etching press was Bodmer using, and where did he source his plates? It feels almost mass produced, making the image available for wider consumption and moving it away from precious art. What can you tell me about its historical moment? Editor: What’s fascinating is Bodmer’s shift away from the traditionally grandiose landscape painting. Consider the rising interest in natural history at the time and an emerging conservation movement in Europe and the US. Perhaps "Les Biches" spoke to those concerns by portraying animals in a calm state. The imagery invites viewers to contemplate nature in a less aggressively romantic, and more realist way. Curator: The very medium reflects a desire for accessibility. Prints democratize art, even if they occasionally commodify it. Also the labor-intensive nature of etching speaks to a tradition of craft which existed separately from the fine arts. This allows one to consider what socio-economic circles produced this image. Editor: It brings up interesting questions about what and whom such a work serves. "Les Biches" doesn't glorify aristocratic hunting practices; it might signal shifting social attitudes towards nature. Or even more subtly about a change of artistic perspective towards an idealized scenery instead of pure wilderness. Curator: I leave appreciating the details: how Bodmer employed etching to suggest both openness and texture. The image is visually delicate, with a medium reflecting accessible artistic practices. Editor: Ultimately, I'm compelled to see the artwork as more than simply decorative or even documentary, instead, the work reveals the public and cultural mindset through nature-themed subjects.