Lombard Apennine c. 19th century

Curator: This is John Ruskin's "Lombard Apennine," currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It strikes me as incredibly delicate; those thin lines suggesting such vast space. Curator: Ruskin was fascinated with accurately representing nature. His close study of geology directly informed his art and writings. Think of the labor involved in such precise rendering. Editor: Indeed. And yet, those distant mountains evoke a sense of the sublime, of nature’s power. Mountains often represent obstacles overcome, spiritual ascendance. Curator: I am compelled by the medium itself. Consider the paper stock, the graphite hardness. Ruskin's attention to these details was paramount. Editor: It is as though he sought to capture not just the image, but the very soul of the Apennines, imbuing it with symbolic meaning. Curator: We see Ruskin examining the components of landscape itself. Editor: In the end, his efforts speak to the enduring human need to find meaning in the world around us.