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Show 85 each element is realistic in itself, the overall effect of this painting has little to do with objective observation. The content, skillfully created through these objective forms, is strictly emotional. The illusion is one of mysterious archaic castles, constructed in some timeless past by an advanced civilization long since vanished. This "art" of man, still physically dominant in a pristine wilderness, merely underscores the stillness and emptiness of a landscape returned to Nature. The antelope, meandering down from the hills, serve to emphasize the sense of abandonment by men to more powerful--or more enduring-forces. The mood evoked, whether idyllic or one of sadness, depends upon the emotional response of the viewer. However, it is certain that man is no longer in control of this world; his influence is transient and has passed away. Yet the story of the painting is ambiguous. The castles are compressed between this arcadian past and the uncertain future of the gathering storm. The tension created by this convergence of forces builds a sense of anticipation for the moment when the storm will break. It is this implication --that if there has been a past, there will also be a future-that assures the viewer that Nature is never static and never complete. It is immediately evident that this painting is thoroughly and essentially different from any of the works previously examined. Delineation between document and art are no longer blurred; the lines are clearly drawn. Why is this so? The first explanation rests with the kind of painting it is. Rather than a setting in which to frame portrait figures or a context in which to place ceremonies or shrines, The White Castles is pure landscape. Bodmer's |