Søjlerække fra Mars Ultors tempel. I baggrunden et kirketårn, S.S. Quirico e Giulitta 1835 - 1843

Constantin Hansen made this pencil drawing of the S.S. Quirico e Giulitta church in Rome, capturing a view that juxtaposes the ancient and the modern. Pencil is a humble material, but it is also a tremendously versatile one. Think of the drafting table as a site of production, just as potent in its way as a factory floor. The artist has used the pencil to create a sense of depth and texture in the columns and the church tower. The marks are not just descriptive; they evoke the way in which materials – stone, plaster – are transformed by light and weather over centuries. The image, though quickly made, implies the longer duration and heavy labor involved in quarrying stone, cutting it to shape, and erecting such an imposing structure. While on the surface, this drawing appears to be a straightforward representation of classical architecture, it also reflects broader issues of labor, class, and consumption. Hansen's choice of such a quotidian material to depict such grand architecture invites us to consider the social context in which the work was produced.