Waterfall near Subiaco 1813

Curator: Koch's "Waterfall near Subiaco," painted in 1813, unfolds before us—a vast landscape now residing in Berlin's Alte Nationalgalerie. It presents us with an almost dreamlike tableau of nature. Editor: My first impression? It’s like someone flattened out a Renaissance painting. All the components are there – the human figure, architecture, mountains – but they feel stacked rather than deeply interwoven. Curator: Absolutely. The figures certainly feel posed, perhaps even staged, within this dramatic scene. One almost suspects a moral message. Do you not feel invited to imagine what might the narrative behind the characters be? It speaks to something beyond realism, does it not? Editor: Maybe, or maybe not, but more importantly the layering reminds me that landscapes are constructs, even natural ones. The built structures of the distant town hint at mining or manufacturing; perhaps Koch's inviting us to consider the exploitation behind even the prettiest view, and think on the work involved when converting raw material to pigments in oil-paint? Curator: Well, the painting is more complex than you describe and more than simple political sentiment, surely! See how the Romantic style is more evident, and allows it breathe with nature with the natural waterfall? Surely, you can glimpse a yearning for something beyond industrial intrusion here. Editor: Romantic or not, all that rushing water suggests power, energy—kinetic energy ripe for harnessing, right? Look at the stonework on the lower falls. That’s evidence of human alteration, of labour applied to nature, however picturesque. Curator: I grant you it's there, but the romantic idealism seeps through even still. The overall composition invites our minds to wonder on life and landscape. We can all perhaps take that home to ponder upon. Editor: True, there’s an undeniable tension here between what we see and how it's manufactured, painted—literally made. Food for thought, for sure, next time you find yourself lost in nature!