Lake O'Hara 1916

Editor: This is John Singer Sargent's "Lake O'Hara," an oil painting, at the Harvard Art Museums. It's quite grand, with layers of imposing mountains reflected in the turquoise lake. What’s your perspective on this painting? Curator: Well, Sargent, known for his portraiture, here engages with landscape. Consider the late 19th and early 20th centuries; wilderness painting often served a nationalistic purpose. How do you think this painting participated in that discourse? Editor: Possibly by presenting the Canadian landscape as majestic and worthy of admiration? Curator: Precisely! And think about the elite tourism developing around such sites; these paintings encouraged that. It's not just about nature; it's about access and representation. Editor: I hadn't considered its connection to tourism and national identity before. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. These landscapes were commodities, in a way, fostering particular views of the world.