Arch of Constantine with Statue of Nero c. 1770

Hubert Robert created "Arch of Constantine with Statue of Nero" using pen and brown ink with gray wash, over graphite. Robert situates us in the ruins of ancient Rome during the 18th century. What do ruins mean? What do they evoke? Perhaps the transience of power and the impermanence of empires. We see the Arch of Constantine, a monument to a triumphant emperor, yet in Robert's rendering, it is crumbling and weathered. Nearby, is the statue of Nero, a controversial figure known for his alleged tyranny. What does it mean to place his statue amidst these ruins? Is Robert commenting on the nature of leadership, the rise and fall of powerful figures? Perhaps he is suggesting that even the most formidable leaders and structures are subject to the ravages of time. In Robert's "Arch of Constantine with Statue of Nero," we are reminded of our own mortality, our own place in history, and the inevitable decline that awaits us all.