Mid-Morning Art Thread [Kris]

A View through Three Arches of the Third Storey of the Colosseum
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg

Neoclassicism is a style of art that values clean line, clear imagery, a heavy dependence on classicism, and a message that idolizes and romanticizes the Greco-Roman world, especially Rome. In this work, Eckersberg presents a view of the Eternal City from one of its most recognizable monuments—the Colosseum. The viewer is positioned high in the structure looking out through the arches at the rest of the city. The artist takes great care in rendering each block. Each has been meticulously drawn and is an individual piece within a massive whole. The viewer sees both the age and the agelessness of the Colosseum.

A major element of this work is composition. Eckersberg uses the cookie-cutter patterns of the upper-storey archways to frame a vista of the city. Here, the painting pushes aside total naturalism for a more romantic message. Through the left archway is the Castel Sant’Angelo. In the real world, that mausoleum-turned-fortress is 1 ½ miles from the Colosseum. Additionally, this view would include the domes and facades of several Renaissance- and Baroque-era churches, and possibly the Pantheon. Eckersberg removed all these for an unobstructed view of the building. He has also modified the perspective, moving the building closer to the viewer.

The other landmarks through the remaining arches are difficult to identify. Since this work is about the specific idea about Rome, I would suspect that these views are also finagled to complete the artist’s vision.

Eckersberg also uses contrasting color to enhance his message. The arches are a warm golden hue that frame a beautiful blue sky and green landscape. The clouds seem to rise from the horizon and come at the viewer. They create this aura over the city and break up the solid blue form of the sky and bring to mind the contrasting forms on the land. The buildings along the horizon separate the land from the sky and repeat the golden tones of the arches, uniting the extreme foreground and the extreme background of the painting. The buildings also mimic but contrast with the Colosseum itself. The background buildings have a pronounced horizontality where the Colosseum is severely vertical. Their blocky forms repeat the blocks within the arches.

Neoclassicism, as the name suggests, is about reintroducing presumed virtues and ideals of the classical world into the modern (18th/19th century) era. This work is a love letter to ancient Rome. While the buildings framed by the arches are both ancient and modern, it is the Colosseum that dominates this work. It provides context and a view-point through which to view this world. It is a symbol. The massive arcade separates the viewer from the cityscape beyond. The artist has placed me behind this colossal, ancient wall and can only see what the arches reveal. I am also above the city. To me, it seems like Eckersburg is placing barrier between the Past and Present. In the foreground is the grand Past—the eternal glory of Imperial Rome at its height. It is in ruins, sure, but it is still magnificent. In the far distance is Eckersburg’s Present—only a small reflection of past brilliance. The two are separate and distinct from each other, but it is the Past that supplies the framing for Eckersburg’s dream.

posted by Open Blogger at 09:30 AM

| Access Comments