An Italian Walled Town Seen through Trees c. 1724

François Le Moyne made this red chalk drawing, ‘An Italian Walled Town Seen through Trees’, sometime in the early 18th century. The image offers us a glimpse into the cultural exchanges happening across Europe at the time. Le Moyne was a French artist, but here he depicts an Italian scene. Italy had long been seen as the cradle of Western art, and many Northern European artists made the pilgrimage south to study the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance. We see here the picturesque appeal of the Italian landscape, which by the 18th century was a popular destination for aristocratic tourists. The Frick Collection, which holds this drawing, has many resources that can help us to understand the context of this work. For example, by comparing Le Moyne's drawing to other images of Italy made at this time, we can learn more about the appeal of Italy for Northern European artists. The meaning of art is always contingent on social and institutional context.