Monteripido, Perugia 1923

Hermann Lismann made this tonal drawing of Monteripido in Perugia with ink, and maybe a bit of wash, on paper. I imagine him outdoors, squinting in the bright Italian sun. The ink is applied in quick strokes, defining the forms of the trees and the architecture with an economy of detail. Look at the solid, dark strokes that make up the Cypress trees. The artist seems to have been thinking about light and shadow, about the way the sun hits the walls and buildings, creating contrasts between light and dark. You can almost feel the heat radiating from the stone. The work reminds me of other artists who travelled through Italy –Corot, or even more recently, Peter Doig. There's a sense of trying to capture the essence of a place, but also an understanding that it can never really be fixed or pinned down. Instead, it’s a conversation across time, as artists keep responding to each other.