The Splügenpass 

Carl Morgenstern made this watercolor painting, The Splügenpass, in 19th century Germany. It depicts a feat of engineering and the sublime experience of nature it made possible. The image creates meaning through visual codes of Romanticism. We see a bridge clinging to the side of a steep mountain and a waterfall cascading into the valley below. The Splügen Pass was a significant trade route through the Alps, connecting Switzerland and Italy. Its construction was a major engineering achievement that transformed how people moved between regions. The romanticism of this painting illustrates not only a changing physical landscape but a changing social landscape as well. To fully understand it, further research into the cultural context of 19th-century travel, the history of alpine engineering, and the philosophy of the sublime in art could deepen our appreciation. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.