Forest Scene 1860

Editor: We're looking at "Forest Scene" painted around 1860 by Narcisse Virgilio Diaz. It’s an oil painting, a smaller landscape – maybe about two feet square. The overall feeling is, I don’t know, inviting but also a bit… secretive? All those trees, obscuring something deeper. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Secretive, yes! I love that. For me, this is pure escapism. Diaz has created a little world, hasn't he? The dappled light, the impasto – you can almost feel the sun on your face and smell the earthy scent of the forest floor. He wasn't just painting trees, he was painting an atmosphere, a feeling. Think about the industrial revolution booming then, people escaping to nature was both romantic and a rebellion, I reckon. Does it feel staged to you, like a backdrop in a theater, at all? Editor: Staged, hmm… I hadn't thought of it that way, but I see what you mean. It's almost too perfect, the way the light falls in that central clearing. Maybe it *is* about escape, not just into nature, but into an idealized version of it. But is that so bad? Curator: Not at all! The genius here is in inviting us in to the idyll. I find this far more accessible than some of the super-realist landscapes being created then. So he's shaping and editorializing to stir feelings... is this so different than our doctored reality on Instagram these days?! I like it! What's the biggest tree reminding you of? A friend? Family member? Editor: I see that parallel with Instagram – hadn’t occurred to me. Maybe this is just the 19th-century version of a curated landscape photo. And yes, I think the largest tree on the left side reminds me of my grandfather, very solid. Curator: Beautiful! Next time, consider yourself invited by an ancestor... who knows what creative inspiration might strike! Editor: Thanks, that's really helpful! I’ll definitely look at this with a fresh pair of eyes next time, not to mention... family!