View of Isola Bella c. 1825

Editor: Mathias Gabriel Lory's "View of Isola Bella," what a find! It’s like a mirage shimmering on the water. The way the island's architecture and terraced gardens reflect... it's dreamy. What do you make of this idyllic scene? Curator: It’s interesting, isn't it? Lory presents this almost theatrical vision. The island becomes a stage. The reflection doubles the fantasy and invites us to consider it as a place somewhere between reality and the imagination. Notice the scale of the boats. What does that suggest to you? Editor: That it's meant to be seen as grand? Like a stage set for the wealthy? Curator: Precisely! Or perhaps a symbol of the transient nature of beauty itself, destined to shimmer and fade. Editor: Hmmm... I hadn't thought of that!