Tree and Grass 1804 - 1805

Editor: This drawing, "Tree and Grass," is by Washington Allston. It's a delicate pencil sketch. It feels so quiet and unassuming. What strikes you about it? Curator: Allston was deeply engaged with European Romanticism and its emphasis on feeling and the sublime. Consider how this sketch, though small, situates the viewer in relation to nature. Does it invite a sense of belonging or of insignificance? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way. It feels more intimate than grand. Curator: Precisely, and that intimacy reflects a shifting perception of nature during the period. Artists were exploring personal relationships to the landscape, moving away from purely allegorical depictions. What do you make of the torn paper? Editor: It gives the image a fragmented, almost vulnerable quality. I guess I see it as a kind of witness to history. Curator: Exactly. It reminds us that art objects are not static, but are subject to time and circumstance. Editor: I’ll definitely remember that next time I'm here. Thanks!