Landscape Number 69 c. 19th century

Editor: Alexandre Calame's "Landscape Number 69," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums, depicts a rather moody lake scene. What do you read into it? Curator: It whispers of Romanticism, doesn't it? The sublime looming in the mountains, nature's raw power mirrored in the still water. I wonder if Calame felt dwarfed, or emboldened, by such landscapes. Did he see freedom, or perhaps, a beautiful trap? Editor: A beautiful trap, I like that. So it's not just about pretty scenery? Curator: Oh, never just pretty scenery. It’s about our place in that scenery, isn't it? Our longings, our fears, our fleeting existence against the backdrop of forever. It's a conversation with something much larger than ourselves. Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way, but that makes a lot of sense. Thanks!