Fountain of Choulan 1764

Curator: This is "Fountain of Choulan" by Jean Jacques de Boissieu. De Boissieu was born in 1736 and died in 1810. It’s a rather small etching, roughly 6 by 5 inches, held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels like a dream, or a memory. All that precise line work making something so soft and romantic. It’s like a forgotten corner of the world, isn't it? Curator: I agree; there's a certain timelessness to it. The figures almost seem to blend into the landscape itself. De Boissieu was quite interested in representing classical themes, and you see how the architecture is kind of overgrown, yet still imposing. Editor: The overgrown part is my favorite. It's a reminder that even the grandest things eventually return to the earth. Nature always wins, you know? Curator: It does invite contemplation about the passage of time and the interplay between nature and human creation, doesn't it? Editor: Absolutely. I could get lost in this little world for hours.