Five Young Women in a Landscape 1702 - 1788

Curator: This watercolor and pen drawing, created between 1702 and 1788, is by Francesco Zuccarelli. The piece is entitled "Five Young Women in a Landscape." Editor: It's immediately striking—the monochromatic sepia tones give it such a serene, almost dreamlike quality. The composition feels very classically arranged, despite the looseness of the line work. Curator: It is definitely characteristic of Zuccarelli’s landscape style, drawing heavily from idealized pastoral scenes, very much in vogue at the time. His art was greatly admired, even purchased by the Royal Family, particularly later in his career when he lived and worked in England. This piece reflects the ongoing interest in Italianate landscapes amongst the British elite. Editor: Look how he renders light! The variations within that narrow tonal range really give a sense of form. And see how the negative space around the figures almost breathes? There’s a softness that prevents the figures from feeling static, which is not always an easy feat in group portraits. Curator: It makes you wonder who these women are and what their context is. The attire does hearken back to classical times but they could very easily just be wealthy women emulating an older, grander fashion and posturing themselves into this aristocratic fashion. Editor: Or perhaps Zuccarelli is using the landscape—a carefully constructed backdrop, really—to hint at virtue and tranquility. The setting almost idealizes the women, but it definitely raises the level of drama that's almost tangible. Curator: You are quite right. The idyllic landscape serves as both a picturesque scene, and also as a reinforcement of these women's places and privileges in society. By placing these young ladies within this space it signals status, education and also suggests themes around leisure. Editor: Ultimately, it’s Zuccarelli’s masterful control of line and shading that makes the scene so arresting, really pulling out a hidden narrative and making something so evocative from just watercolor, pen and ink. Curator: It truly brings to the foreground how art always operates within social codes and constructs and offers so much by considering the moment in time within which it was conceived.