View in Switzerland 

Curator: Here we have John Warwick Smith's "View in Switzerland," held at the Tate. It's a delicate drawing, executed with precision. What stands out to you? Editor: The composition strikes me as quite serene. There's a stillness in the lines and shapes, especially with that massive rock formation. Curator: Switzerland, during Smith’s time, was becoming a popular destination for British tourists seeking sublime landscapes. The figures at the base of the rock, seem small in relation to the scale of the nature around them. Editor: And are those figures merely compositional devices, or do they offer more? Their placement seems deliberate. Curator: Landscape art of this era often served to reinforce ideas about British power and privilege. The landscape is both spectacle and territory. Editor: I see what you mean; that reading adds a layer of complexity. Still, looking at the way the light falls, it almost feels like a stage set. Curator: Absolutely. Landscape as both theatre and conquest, I think that encapsulates something profound here. Editor: I'll definitely consider that idea of constructed spectacle as I look at Smith’s drawing again. Curator: And I'm going to keep thinking about the socio-political implications of the sublime and how that resonates today.