This Is Not a Landscape 2002

Fernando Calhau made this glowing blue artwork, 'This Is Not a Landscape', sometime before 2002, using who-knows-what to make a neon light sign. It's the kind of piece that makes you stop and think, or maybe just squint a little, as you try to read what it says. The color is striking against the dark background, and the glow is so electric, so unnatural. I find myself asking, what makes something a landscape, anyway? Is it about the view, the feeling, or maybe just the intention of the artist? Calhau's statement plays with that idea, almost daring us to see beyond the obvious. Like when Magritte painted a pipe and wrote, 'This is not a pipe.' Which makes me think about the nature of art, and how it's always in conversation with itself. It’s not just about what you see, but how you see it, and what you bring to the experience.