Wasserfall Bei Tivoli 

Joseph Anton Koch created this detailed drawing, titled "Wasserfall Bei Tivoli," using ink and graphite, sometime around the late 18th or early 19th century. The artwork presents a dramatic landscape, dominated by a powerful waterfall, set against rugged cliffs and lush vegetation. The composition invites your eyes to dance between light and shadow, and the interplay of textures evokes a sense of raw, natural power. Koch masterfully uses line and form to create depth and structure. Note how the lines of the waterfall and the rocks create both a sense of movement and of solid stability. This structured contrast might be interpreted through a semiotic lens as Koch highlighting the sublime clash between nature's untamed force and its enduring presence. The small human figure in the lower right almost acts as a signifier of our own fragile place within this grand scheme. Ultimately, it is Koch's formal treatment of the landscape itself that resonates most profoundly. It reminds us of the complex and ever-shifting relationship between humanity and the natural world.