Wallenstadt 1781

Curator: Here we have Francis Towne's "Wallenstadt," currently residing in the Tate Collections. Editor: It feels so stark, doesn’t it? Like a stage set for a very serious play. Curator: Towne was working in a period where the sublime in nature was highly valued, but his treatment is quite unique. His focus on simplified forms almost anticipates modernism. Editor: I agree! The sharp angles and the layering of the mountains creates a feeling of both grandeur and isolation. Is that a little village at the base? So fragile looking! Curator: Yes, there is. Note how Towne positions human habitation at the very bottom, dwarfed by the mountains. A statement on man's place in the natural order perhaps? Editor: Perhaps. It just makes me want to build a tiny house there and write poetry. Curator: So, from sublime statement to poetic retreat! Editor: Well, isn't that what art is all about?