Near the City of Nice. (A Wide Valley) 1773

Curator: John Downman created this landscape, "Near the City of Nice. (A Wide Valley)," sometime during his lifetime, 1749 to 1824. Editor: It feels like a dreamscape, doesn't it? That little building perched on the cliff… it’s almost like something out of a fairytale. Curator: The placement of that building, so high and solitary, definitely carries symbolic weight. Buildings, especially religious ones, often represent stability and order. Editor: Or, maybe, isolation? Look at those thin lines, the almost hesitant touch of the pencil. It’s not just a pretty view; there’s a loneliness etched into it. Curator: Pencil drawings like this were often done en plein air, acting like visual shorthand. What appears ‘hesitant’ might just be Downman rapidly capturing the scene's essence. Editor: Maybe. But that's what makes it interesting, right? This tension between fact and feeling, landscape and mood. It whispers more than it shouts. Curator: I agree. It’s a reminder that even seemingly straightforward depictions can hold layers of emotional and cultural meaning. Editor: Exactly. It's a glimpse of Nice that’s both there and… somewhere else entirely.