View towards Drammen, Norway 1790s

C.A. Lorentzen painted "View towards Drammen, Norway" with oil on canvas. Lorentzen invites us to consider the intersection of nationhood and nature. From an elevated vantage point, we look out over the town of Drammen. The figures in the foreground seem to be a family pausing to take in the view. But what does it mean to pause and take in a view? What are we supposed to see and feel? The sublime vastness of nature? The industriousness of the townspeople? This painting presents an ordered and harmonious vision of Norway, one that reinforces a sense of national identity rooted in its landscape. Yet, who has access to this vision? While nature may be universal, the ability to own land, to travel and enjoy the scenery, and to produce and consume art was not equally available to everyone. "View towards Drammen, Norway" speaks to both the allure and the inherent exclusivity of landscape as a cultural symbol.