Gezicht op de Pico Turquino c. 1848

This lithograph, titled 'Gezicht op de Pico Turquino' was created by Frédéric Mialhe sometime in the 19th century. It presents us with a landscape of Cuba’s highest peak, Pico Turquino. During this period, European artists often depicted the landscapes of colonized lands, framing them through a lens of exoticism and colonial interest. What do we make of Mialhe's choice to include the local population in the foreground? The image invites us to consider the complex relationship between landscape, identity, and power. The figures in the foreground could be seen as mere staffage, included to give scale, but also to portray the local inhabitants as part of the landscape itself. How does Mialhe’s rendering of the scene either challenge or reinforce the power dynamics inherent in the colonial gaze? Consider how the monumental peak looms over the figures, symbolizing both the natural beauty and the imposed colonial order of the island.