“The perception of America as an uninhabited wilderness is in its own way, a historical fiction.” – Alan C. Braddock, professor and ecocritic

This episode, hear from Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser, Alice Pratt Brown Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture in The American Wing, and Alan C. Braddock, Ralph H. Wark Associate Professor of Art History and American Studies at William and Mary.

Featured artwork: View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow by Thomas Cole, 1836

Explore more perspectives on “The Oxbow”

See more from Spotlight

Spotlight features new perspectives on a single work from The Met collection. Familiar and celebrated works serve as the focal point for dialogue—posing questions, building understanding, and conveying how the presence of the work in the Museum has altered, limited, or enhanced the work’s interpretation. The series explores different ways of knowing, and relates to themes beyond art and museums through the expertise and personal experience of invited guests.