View on Florence 

Friedrich Metz created this drawing, "View on Florence," with graphite on paper, offering us a glimpse into his vision of the iconic Italian city. The preliminary sketch captures the essence of Florence through a landscape punctuated by architectural landmarks. The composition is carefully structured, using trees as framing devices on either side to draw the eye towards the city's skyline. Metz employs line and form to build depth, where the dome and towers rise gently from the rolling hills. The use of graphite allows for a subtle interplay of light and shadow, defining shapes and suggesting a soft atmospheric perspective. What is striking about this sketch is the reduction of Florence to essential forms, inviting us to consider how the city is not merely represented, but constructed through the artist’s eye. The softness of the graphite lends an ephemeral quality to the sketch, as if the city is perpetually emerging and reforming itself. This preliminary study, with its emphasis on structure and form, encourages us to appreciate the foundational elements that define our perception of place and space.