The Castle of San Lorenzo in Ragusa 1840

Rudolf von Alt’s watercolor, The Castle of San Lorenzo in Ragusa, transports us to a specific place and time through the eyes of a privileged traveler. Painted in the 19th century, a period marked by European expansion and orientalism, this image reflects a particular gaze towards the ‘other.’ Alt, an Austrian artist, captures the architecture and landscape with precision, yet the painting also speaks to the power dynamics inherent in the act of observation. The castle, a symbol of authority and history, is presented as a picturesque object, divorced from the social realities of the people who lived and worked there. Consider how the local inhabitants are reduced to mere figures in the landscape, their stories untold. Alt's vision, while technically skilled, perpetuates a romanticized view of foreign lands, filtering out the complexities of lived experience and reinforcing a colonial perspective. What do we lose when we view a place through the lens of an outsider?