The Thames from Richmond Hill 1788

Editor: Reynolds's "The Thames from Richmond Hill" is so evocative, even though we don't know when it was painted. The landscape almost glows. How do you read this scene? Curator: It's interesting to consider Reynolds's work through a postcolonial lens. While celebrating the English landscape, what histories are obscured? Who had access to such idyllic scenes, and whose labor supported that leisure? Editor: I see what you mean. It feels like the painting invites a deeper questioning of social structures. Curator: Exactly. Art isn't created in a vacuum. By examining its historical context, we reveal its relationship to power and inequality. What have you learned? Editor: I never really thought about landscapes in terms of power dynamics, but it makes perfect sense now.