Point Loma 1937

Charles Reiffel crafted Point Loma with oil on canvas, presenting a landscape interwoven with symbols of human presence and industrial growth. Notice the smoke stacks in the distance. These aren't mere topographical details, but rather, emblems of modernity's encroachment upon nature. Consider, for instance, how similar industrial motifs appear in Piranesi's etchings of Rome, where architectural ambitions reflect the hubris of civilization. Here, as there, we observe an interplay between the built environment and the natural world, a tension that evokes both progress and the shadow of ecological disruption. Such imagery taps into our collective memory, stirring subconscious anxieties about the cost of advancement. Ultimately, Reiffel's painting shows us a landscape not just seen, but felt, a reminder of the enduring dialogue between humanity and its environment. It is a dialogue that, like art itself, continuously reinvents itself across time and space.