Vernet 1912

Editor: Here we have James Dickson Innes's "Vernet," a watercolor landscape. I’m struck by the somber mood created by the muted colors and heavy clouds. What sociopolitical narratives do you think Innes engages with? Curator: The romantic vision of landscape often glosses over the realities of land ownership and labor. Innes, working in the early 20th century, consciously or unconsciously, participates in the colonial gaze. How might we read the absence of figures as an erasure of the people who lived and worked this land? Editor: That's a powerful point; the emptiness does feel suggestive. Curator: Indeed. Consider the power dynamics inherent in who gets to depict and own the narrative of a place. These landscapes aren’t just pretty scenes, they’re imbued with complex social histories. Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way before; now I see so much more.