Ansicht von der Via Mala an der Splügenstraße 1856

Curator: Carl Morgenstern's watercolor drawing, "View of the Via Mala on the Splügen Pass Road," created in 1856, offers a striking vision of nature’s grandeur intertwined with human engineering. Editor: My breath literally caught. There’s something so…imposing. The cliffs seem to swallow you whole, and that little bridge? Makes you feel incredibly small. Like an ant! Curator: The composition certainly plays on that feeling of the sublime. Via Mala, known for its dramatic, steep gorges, becomes a stage where nature asserts its dominance, yet the bridge represents humanity’s ambition to conquer it. Consider the Romantic period, from which Morgenstern emerges: how might this placement reflect prevailing views on industrialism's advance upon untouched landscapes? Editor: Conquer, or… dance? Maybe it’s a negotiation. Like, “Okay, mighty cliffs, we appreciate your majestic presence, so we'll just tiptoe through, leaving as small a footprint as possible." Curator: That interpretation has merit. Notice the subdued palette. Browns and grays dominate, suggesting the raw, unyielding character of the rock. What does that imply about accessibility in 1856? Editor: Yeah, there is not a ton of colorful exuberance here, is there? It's definitely got that muted 19th-century vibe. But those subtle watercolor washes... gives the stone this almost velvety quality, right? A kind of tenderness amid the harshness, which feels very... him. It makes me wonder what it felt like to traverse those spaces at the time. Before modern roadwork and when you had to move a slower pace... It is an architecture of the way... Curator: Morgenstern's delicate brushstrokes in rendering architectural detail and his manipulation of scale underscore the contrast between organic forms and constructed elements. Do you sense how themes related to power and the environment also highlight gendered dimensions during the Romantic era? After all, woman/nature... man/industry has deep sociohistorical roots. Editor: Definitely a dialogue happening there, maybe even an argument! What stands out most is not what we think it is, but how these imposing edifices and precarious perches impact what moves on either side or through their midst. And, wow, just imagining standing on that little bridge... the dizzying heights... pretty awesome. It’s made me think about what will eventually take over any human attempt to harness the world around us… Curator: Indeed, and reflecting on Morgenstern's Via Mala brings renewed urgency to such issues that persist.