San Giorgio in Velabro in Rome 1820

Antonie Sminck Pitloo painted this view of San Giorgio in Velabro in Rome using oil on canvas. The artist's chosen medium profoundly shapes how we experience the scene. Oil paint, with its capacity for blending and layering, allowed Pitloo to capture the subtle gradations of light across the ancient stonework and the sky. You can almost feel the warmth radiating from the buildings as the sun sets. Notice how the texture of the paint itself gives a sense of depth and volume to the architecture. The artist has rendered the surfaces in rich detail. But what's equally fascinating is what Pitloo leaves out. There's a looseness, particularly in the background, that suggests the artist was working quickly, perhaps *en plein air*. This lends the painting an immediacy and freshness, avoiding academic perfection. Ultimately, considering the *making* of "San Giorgio in Velabro" allows us to move beyond simply recognizing its subject, into a deeper appreciation of its aesthetic power.