Sea Pasture 1936

Curator: This is "Sea Pasture" by Charles Herbert, housed right here at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s an evocative scene. Editor: My first impression is how textural it is. The etching lines really bring out the movement of the water and the ruggedness of the landscape. Curator: Absolutely. Herbert was working within a time where landscape art served as an important touchstone for American identity, a way to express the nation's spirit through its land. Editor: I'm struck by the labor involved in creating this. The methodical cross-hatching, the precision needed to suggest such a vast, wild space with such economical means. Curator: Don't you think that by focusing on the working process you remove the political and social intention of the art? Editor: Not at all, the process is social. I just see the physical engagement as part of the meaning. Curator: A fair point. I see the image as an idealized vision of the American coast, one that perhaps overshadows the realities of maritime labor and coastal development during that era. Editor: Well, it gives you plenty to think about when you look at it! Curator: Indeed. It is a perfect example of the intersection of nature, artistic vision, and cultural narrative.