Delaware '64 (Delaware River View) (from Sketchbook) 1864

Editor: Here we have Thomas Hewes Hinckley's pencil drawing, *Delaware '64*, made in 1864. It's a wispy landscape... almost ethereal. What strikes me most is its incompleteness and how it almost disappears into the white of the paper. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a work deeply intertwined with the tumultuous era of the Civil War. Consider the date, 1864. This wasn’t just a landscape; it was created during a moment of profound national crisis. It compels me to question what this seemingly serene depiction of the Delaware River might conceal. Is it simply an escape, or could it be a coded reflection on a fractured nation? What voices are being silenced, both literally and figuratively, in the artistic process and reception of art? Editor: So you see it less as a tranquil scene and more as a reflection of the unrest of the time? Do you think Hinckley intended it to be read that way? Curator: I believe it is less about the artist's explicit intention, which we can never fully grasp, and more about understanding the work within the context of its creation and reception. The very act of portraying nature so delicately while a brutal war raged suggests a yearning for peace and unity, or even a quiet resistance against the violence, or perhaps, mourning. But it also could reflect the role that nature plays for wealthy, white landowners. The access to leisure, the privilege to paint… whose stories are erased in this idyllic rendering of nature? Editor: That's a powerful point. I hadn't considered how the simple act of creating this drawing during such a time could be a statement in itself. Curator: Exactly. It invites us to unpack the social, political, and even economic implications embedded within what might initially appear as a simple landscape. It calls for an interrogation beyond aesthetics. Editor: Thank you! This has really opened my eyes to seeing art as a product of its time and not just an isolated creation. Curator: Absolutely! That's the ongoing task: examining art through an intersectional lens, and uncovering these hidden dimensions.