Porto d'Anzio 

Curator: Nino Costa's oil painting, "Porto d'Anzio," presents a tranquil coastal vista, currently held here at the National Gallery. Editor: My initial reaction is one of serenity. The composition feels very balanced, the colors muted and harmonious, almost melancholic. It's a wide-angle landscape, isn’t it? Curator: It is. The application of oil-paint indicates the development of plein-air techniques, which afforded Costa and his contemporaries opportunities to document labor at the ports from a distance. In many ways, its style is defined by Italian realism. Editor: Absolutely. The artist’s interest is not only in documenting a scene from Anzio, but it seems like Costa wants the viewer to feel it as well. Consider how light permeates the image—the softness of the sky almost dissolving the horizon line. Curator: Indeed. Considering his engagement within the Italian independence movements and close ties to the Macchiaioli group, this type of harbor landscape likely became increasingly in demand as nationalist Italians gained access to such port cities. One can even imagine a burgeoning tourism market growing with scenes such as these! Editor: Perhaps. For me, though, I’m drawn to the formal tension. The foreground, dominated by darker greens and browns, is in sharp contrast with the lightness of the water and sky, guiding the eye across the composition. There are two clear horizontal zones that work in concert with each other. Curator: These material conditions, the way labor at these ports shifts in tandem with tourist economies… the historical factors make for a captivating context from which to read a picture! Editor: And I feel we should celebrate Costa's visual language for providing a certain feeling of contemplative beauty. The painting operates as a self-contained aesthetic object too, which warrants considering this composition through close-reading as well. Curator: All considered, its important that the legacy of paintings like “Porto d’Anzio” become resources for examining our relationship to production! Editor: Agreed! Whether approaching “Porto d’Anzio” formally or materially, Nino Costa offers so much through such a small vista.