Architektonisches Capriccio_ Ruinen eines Rundtempels, im Hintergrund die Trajansäule 

Victor Jean Nicolle made this "Architectural Capriccio" with watercolor and pencil on paper. It presents a fanciful assembly of Roman ruins, the grand columns meticulously rendered with a kind of faded glory. Look closely, and you'll notice the texture of the paper itself. The artist carefully applied washes of color, allowing the absorbent surface to create subtle gradations and a soft, atmospheric effect. The pencil work, especially in the architectural details, speaks to Nicolle’s precision as a draughtsman, trained in the traditions of architectural rendering, a field that demands technical skill and accuracy. The scene itself is a ‘capriccio’, an exercise of the imagination. Nicolle never intended to represent reality, but rather to indulge in a romantic vision of the ancient world. A view of a distant past that was constructed through labor and skill in the present. Appreciating the labor enmeshed in this kind of work helps us expand our understanding of the image itself.