Turmruine am Wasser bei Mondschein 

Johann Ludwig Ernst Morgenstern created this drawing of a tower ruin by the water in the moonlight. The ruin, bathed in the soft glow of the moon, is a powerful symbol of decay and the passage of time. Consider how ruins have haunted the artistic imagination for centuries. From ancient Roman ruins depicted in Renaissance paintings to the crumbling castles of the Romantic era, they evoke a sense of nostalgia and melancholy. In Caspar David Friedrich's "Abbey in the Oakwood," for instance, ruins similarly stand as stark reminders of mortality. But what is it about ruins that captivates us so? Perhaps it’s the confrontation with our own impermanence, the recognition that all things, no matter how grand, are destined to crumble. This drawing taps into our collective memory, stirring subconscious fears and anxieties about time, change, and loss. The ruin persists, morphing across history. It is not a linear progression but a continuous cycle of destruction and rebirth, resonating with us on a deeply emotional level.