Buildings Beside Lagoon n.d.

Claude Lorrain rendered this pen, ink, and wash drawing of buildings beside a lagoon. Lorrain, working in the 17th century, lived in a time when the concept of landscape painting was evolving and becoming increasingly popular, particularly among the aristocratic class. But what does it mean to capture a landscape? Is it merely an objective representation, or is it imbued with the artist's and the patron's ideologies? The figures here appear as diminutive, almost incidental, certainly less important than the architecture they occupy. The emphasis on the classical buildings, bathed in a soft light, evokes a sense of order and harmony. Yet, one has to wonder about the stories of the people who inhabited these spaces. What were their daily lives like in contrast to the idealized settings that were so popular in landscape paintings? The drawing invites us to reflect on the selective nature of art and the stories it chooses to tell, and perhaps more importantly, those it leaves untold.