Gezicht op Taormina, Italië 1851 - 1900

Giovanni Crupi captured this view of Taormina in Italy with photography. The scene is dominated by a majestic mountain, its form echoing the sacred mountains found in numerous cultures, from Mount Olympus to Mount Sinai. These peaks often symbolize a connection to the divine, a place of revelation and spiritual ascent. Here, the mountain looms over the town, a silent guardian. It reminds me of similar geological features in paintings by Caspar David Friedrich, where nature becomes a mirror reflecting our inner selves. Think of the Romantic era, when mountains evoked feelings of awe and the sublime. This echoes through time, connecting Crupi’s photograph to earlier artistic traditions. This photograph is a stark reminder of the enduring power of nature to shape our perceptions and emotions. The mountain, ever-present, embodies both physical grandeur and a deeper, more profound sense of timelessness.