Near the Mont St Gothard 

Editor: This is William Pars' watercolor, "Near the Mont St Gothard." It's quite striking how the formidable rock face dwarfs that tiny doorway. What cultural narratives might have shaped the viewers' reception of such a landscape? Curator: Indeed. The sublime landscapes were highly fashionable. Think about how wealthy British men, on Grand Tours, were expected to engage with and, crucially, document their travels. Editor: Document for whom? Curator: For themselves, as a mark of status, but also for a burgeoning market back home. Watercolors like this became easily transportable trophies, evidencing their refined tastes. This image thus plays into that performance of cultivated travel and consumption. Editor: So, it's less about the place itself and more about the act of seeing and possessing it, in a way? I hadn't considered that. Curator: Precisely. It makes you wonder about the power dynamics embedded in landscape art. Editor: Definitely gives me a new perspective. Thanks.