View of the terraces of the Villa d’Este in Tivoli 1791

Editor: Alright, next up we have "View of the terraces of the Villa d’Este in Tivoli," a watercolor painted en plein-air by Daniël Dupré in 1791. It has a rather wistful, idyllic feel, almost like a memory. How do you connect with this piece? Curator: You're right, it absolutely sings of a dreamlike recollection, doesn't it? The way Dupré uses watercolor, that delicate wash of color, lends itself so beautifully to that feeling. For me, it's a gentle exhale. Look how the trees reach upwards, almost sighing towards that expansive, hazy sky. What strikes you most about the composition, beyond the wistfulness? Editor: I think the framing. The towering trees on either side kind of pull you into the scene. Almost like theater curtains opening up onto a performance. Curator: Precisely! They’re framing a staged view. The garden becomes this picturesque performance of nature, tidied and ordered, and enjoyed from the terraces. Do you see the figures almost dissolving into the garden? They’re experiencing that tailored view as it blends back with a wilder nature. Dupré sets a Romantic experience within a classical Italian framework, and blurs the boundary. I wonder, is there anything about the medium itself that resonates with that dreamy quality for you? Editor: Well, the transparency of watercolor makes everything feel light and airy. It's like the scene is captured in a breath. I can imagine this was painted fairly quickly, capturing the light and mood on the spot. Curator: Exactly! Watercolor, especially *en plein air*, carries that immediacy and transience within it. This landscape is an attitude as much as it is a location. Looking at this makes me want to take to my own terrace with a paintbrush...or maybe just a glass of wine! Editor: I like the thought of that. Seeing it in that way kind of shifts it from a historical document into something more… human and immediate. Curator: And that, my friend, is where the real magic lies – connecting with a piece across centuries. Thank you for that insightful read.