Basilica of Constantine 1828

Camille Corot captured the Basilica of Constantine on canvas with oil paints. Corot painted the Basilica, not as a monument to imperial power, but as a structure embedded within the landscape. During his time, Rome was both a historical site and a contemporary city grappling with its identity amid rapid change. The Basilica, like other ancient ruins, represented a connection to a glorious past, but also the passage of time and the impermanence of human achievement. The Basilica is not just stone and structure, but a narrative of power, decay, and renewal. Corot’s choice of subject is an exploration of themes of memory, identity, and the complex relationship between the past and present. What does it mean to carry your history with you? How do you forge an identity that makes peace with the past?