Expeditie met paarden in een dal before 1897

Curator: Looking at this early print reproduction, I am struck by the long shadows, how they create this deep sense of immersion into a high mountain valley. It’s very evocative. Editor: Indeed. This image, "Expeditie met paarden in een dal", translates to "Expedition with horses in a valley." It comes from the prolific output of Walter Dwight Wilcox, a man better known as a mountaineer and writer who adventured extensively in the Canadian Rockies during the late 19th century. We can date it to before 1897. Curator: What a striking combination, though—the wide-open valley combined with this almost claustrophobic feeling of shadows, and the strong, directional composition really enhances the feeling of that high altitude light, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Yes. The aesthetic is undeniably orientalist, reflecting Western romanticization and exploration of "untamed" landscapes. The presence of horses signals not just transportation but also a kind of imperial presence, pushing into these spaces. The scale makes one think of grand expeditions, literally illustrated in print and text here for broader audiences back east, one assumes. Curator: Do you suppose these scenes are about conquering space or encountering something greater than the self? I tend to go there as well; perhaps, naively so? The details around the horses are great too. You notice these wonderful light patches catching on their flanks, this adds real, immediate liveliness... Editor: It is tempting to ascribe such notions of grandeur, though perhaps at a cost. Looking from a contemporary lens, and acknowledging Indigenous dispossession tied to such explorations, does change the narrative and certainly complicate such immediate interpretations of beauty and self-discovery, don't you think? Curator: Yes, absolutely. I appreciate you pointing that out to me. The shadows that were pulling me in have shifted, for sure. Editor: For me too. Recognizing how art reflects, reinforces, or, indeed, challenges power dynamics shapes how we value it in the present. Thanks to your perspective, I now also admire these tiny splashes of light! It's these dialogues between art and social reflection that, I think, truly invigorate our understanding.