View of the Islands of Nisida and Capri c. 1819

Friedrich Salathé rendered this view of the islands of Nisida and Capri with delicate washes on paper. The composition is divided into foreground, middle ground, and background, yet a tonal sameness pervades the image. The islands in the distance are not clearly defined. They seem to merge with the sky, contributing to an overall sense of atmospheric unity. Salathé uses minimal strokes and open forms which convey just enough to suggest the landscape's features without becoming mired in detail. By allowing large portions of the paper to remain untouched, he provokes an interesting relationship between what is depicted and what is left to the imagination. The formal restraint invites a reading of nature as a harmonious whole. Consider how the lack of strong contrasts or defined boundaries points towards a world in which elements blend into one another, revealing the structural underpinnings of our perception.