Extreme Nature!
November 10, 2018–February 24, 2019
Alexandre Calame
Route du Grimsel, no. 108
From Œuvres de A. Calame
1855. Lithograph on paper. Clark Art Institute, 1983.9
ALLURING LANDSCAPES
The mountainous topographies, rocky bluffs, and plummeting waterfalls in this section of the exhibition illustrate how the modern foundation of geology and other natural sciences influenced nineteenth-century artistic portrayals of the landscape. The replication of nature’s minutest details elicited wonder and excitement among viewers who might imagine the exhilarating or even terrifying experience of traversing these remote geographies in reality.
By mid-century, the birth of photography also aided in the scientific study and documentation of unique geological features. Photographs transported visions of faraway locales to metropolitan centers where these extreme landscapes found widespread favor. Whether encountering the original photograph on display or a smaller reproduction printed in a magazine or newspaper, these images brought far-flung geographies into the popular mindset and encouraged nature-based tourism.