College Yard: A View from the President's House 1821

Editor: Here we have Alvan Fisher’s "College Yard: A View from the President's House." It's an oil on canvas work, and the way the buildings are framed by the trees gives it a rather serene, almost idyllic feel. What do you make of this depiction? Curator: It's interesting to consider this "serene" view in the context of early 19th-century American higher education. Who had access to this space, and whose labor made it possible? The painting invites us to question the narrative of idyllic academia and explore its complex relationship with power, privilege, and exclusion. Editor: That's a really insightful point. I hadn't considered the social dynamics at play. Curator: These spaces weren't accessible to everyone; women, people of color were often excluded. How does knowing that change your understanding of the "serenity" you initially perceived? Editor: It definitely complicates it. I see now that the painting doesn't just show a place, but also reflects a specific power structure. Thanks for pointing that out. Curator: Absolutely. Art is always in dialogue with its historical moment. And our interpretation today inevitably reveals our own.