After a shower near Pisa 

Curator: Giovanni Costa, sometimes called Nino Costa, captured this serene vista, "After a Shower near Pisa." It's currently held in the collection of the National Gallery in London. Editor: Hmm, "serene" is one word for it. To me, it feels like the color drained out, or like the scene is fading into a distant memory, sepia toned with a touch of nostalgia. It reminds me of a summer's end, a tinge of sadness even. Curator: The muted palette definitely contributes to that effect. But consider how Costa embraced "plein-air" painting; he wanted to record the transient effects of light and atmosphere. Editor: Precisely, look at the hazy atmosphere, a visible lack of precision, almost as if the shapes are melting back into a common pictorial soup. A pure material engagement with a sensory experience. The structural elements are not as prominent or eye-catching as the sheer presence of light as substance, but maybe that’s just me. Curator: The horizontal composition anchors the piece. Notice how the dark, continuous band of trees in the background provide a firm counterpoint to the subtly shifting textures of the fields. I appreciate the strong horizontal line of the tree stand separating foreground and background; the subtle, tonal shifts almost read like a musical notation of color. Editor: True, the painting teeters somewhere between impressionism and something a bit more earthy, a pre-Raphaelite naturalism that is grounded with heavy, wet paint. In fact, do we know when exactly it was painted? Curator: Sadly, we do not know the exact date of creation, but Costa certainly was associated with the Macchiaioli group, an Italian art movement often seen as precursors to Impressionism. This landscape contains tonal and painterly qualities akin to their works. Editor: All this careful observation just makes you feel that particular type of fresh country air on your skin. Costa manages to evoke it. You can almost hear the crickets chirping! Curator: Exactly. A moment captured and held, a fleeting beauty made permanent on canvas. Editor: It invites contemplation about art as pure sensual experience.