Rhone Waterfall near Schafhausen n.d.

Curator: This is a pencil and graphite drawing on paper entitled "Rhone Waterfall near Schafhausen," by Pieter Gaal. It resides here at the Art Institute of Chicago. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: My first impression? Tranquility, even with the waterfall. There's a quiet stillness despite the subject matter. The delicate pencil work softens the force of the water. It feels very serene, almost like a memory. Curator: The soft rendering certainly lends itself to that feeling. The artist has created a traditional landscape, yes, but without the political urgency some landscape paintings carry. Think of Turner, or even Constable and the agrarian changes in the English countryside. Editor: Right, this feels more personal, like a page from a travel journal. It is as if Gaal was moved by this spot and had to capture it, without necessarily wanting to make a grand statement. Just an intimate connection with nature. Did the Falls at Schaffhausen have a particular reputation at the time? Curator: Absolutely. It was, and still is, a very popular tourist destination in Switzerland. Views of such picturesque spots would be purchased as souvenirs and reminders of a visit to sublime nature. Consider it an early form of the snapshot. Editor: It’s interesting how something intended as a simple memento can become so evocative. This pencil sketch manages to distill a whole experience down to a single, quiet image. I feel I have been there myself now. Curator: I see this drawing as part of a broader historical pattern of natural tourism. But beyond its documentary value, there’s a clear aesthetic engagement, too. Editor: For me, it’s that emotional core which transforms what might have been merely a lovely view into something so enduringly resonant. A beautiful, delicate scene, isn't it? Curator: Indeed, offering us both an artifact of its time, and a vision beyond it.