Storm in the Alps, Switzerland 1908

Editor: Here we have Donald Shaw MacLaughlan's "Storm in the Alps, Switzerland," from 1908, an etching on paper. It feels dramatic, even a little ominous, with those dark clouds looming. What do you see in this piece, looking at it with your expert eyes? Curator: I see a continuation of a very old symbolic language – the sublime, the power of nature – reinterpreted for the early 20th century. Think of how often mountains have been depicted as places of spiritual reckoning. What emotional resonances do you feel from this depiction? Editor: Definitely a sense of awe, and maybe a little bit of fear. It feels like nature is this overwhelming force. Curator: Precisely. Now, consider the etching technique. The stark blacks and whites aren’t merely descriptive. How does that stark contrast influence the mood for you? Editor: It amplifies the drama, for sure. It feels more immediate, almost like a photograph capturing a fleeting moment, but with this timeless quality because it's an etching. Curator: It invites reflection, doesn't it? Etchings aren’t instantaneous. They're built, layer by layer, through deliberate action. It evokes our complicated, often destructive, relationship with landscape in Western art – a desire to both conquer and be humbled by nature. Look at the dark clouds hanging above and overshadowing the mountain range. Editor: That's a great point. So it’s less about just the beauty of the mountains and more about the symbolic power of nature and the storm itself. Curator: Yes! And the etching medium speaks to how we process, and interpret powerful experiences of the natural world. MacLaughlan captured that through the visual language that resonates to this day. Editor: I never thought about it that way. Seeing the cultural symbolism woven into this landscape makes me appreciate it so much more. Thank you. Curator: And thank you, for connecting the symbols in the image with a personal emotion.