Forum Romanum 1925

Eero Järnefelt painted the Forum Romanum in 1925 with what looks like oil on canvas. The colour palette is fairly muted - lots of earth tones like browns, creams, beiges and greys that evoke the ancient world. I can imagine Järnefelt approaching the canvas with his brush, tentatively at first, and then with increasing confidence as the forms of the ancient Roman forum begin to emerge. I wonder what he was thinking as he stood before this subject matter? Was he feeling the weight of history, or was he simply trying to capture the light and atmosphere of the scene? The paint is applied in thin layers, creating a smooth surface that reflects the light, and there's a sense of stillness, of quiet contemplation. The artist uses vertical brushstrokes to suggest the height of the columns and buildings, and horizontal strokes to convey the flatness of the landscape. The way the brush is handled here reminds me a little of Corot, who also liked painting architecture. All these artists are constantly looking, learning, and riffing off each other. Painting is a form of conversation, an exchange of ideas across time. There's a quality to it, an openness to ambiguity that means it could mean many things.