Plate 35 1810

Curator: Here we have François Louis Thomas Francia's "Plate 35" from the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's haunting, this image. The windmill perched atop that craggy hill, rendered in such stark tones, evokes a feeling of both isolation and enduring strength. Curator: Francia uses a drypoint technique, which allows for those powerfully etched lines and rich, velvety blacks. You see the marks of the tool itself. Editor: I’m fascinated by the windmill. Throughout history, it's been a symbol of progress, but here, it almost seems burdened, a monument to a bygone era. And the boat below? Are they connected? Curator: Perhaps the boat represents the commerce that the windmill once supported, a link between the landscape, technology, and the human element. Editor: Looking closer, the landscape itself seems to be dissolving, giving way to atmosphere. It really makes you consider the relationship between humanity and our environment through the ages. Curator: Agreed. It seems Francia captures something essential about the changing tides of time, both visible and unseen.