Wandelaars op bergpad bij Chamonix en de Mont Blanc 1859

Eugène Cicéri created this print depicting the Mont Blanc and the path to it. The Romantic era was marked by an emphasis on the individual, and an idealization of nature, yet it was also deeply influenced by the expansion of colonialism and the rise of the industrial revolution. This print can be seen as a product of these tensions. It romanticizes the sublimity of nature, but it also represents a landscape increasingly accessible and altered by human presence. The figures on the path appear small compared to the vast mountain, yet they are actively traversing and experiencing the landscape. Is it an image that reinforces a sense of European dominance over nature, turning the landscape into a spectacle for consumption? Ultimately, the artwork invites us to reflect on our own relationship with the natural world, and how our identities and histories shape our perceptions.