Lithography of Melfi 

This is Edward Lear's lithograph of Melfi, an Italian town, made sometime in the 19th century. Lear, known for his "nonsense" poetry and detailed landscape drawings, captures the town nestled atop a hill, a scene that seems both picturesque and remote. It's fascinating to consider Lear's own life in the context of this image. As someone who lived with epilepsy and struggled with feelings of social isolation, his travels and art-making were a way to engage with the world. He was a queer man, working in a time that demanded conformity. While the image appears to simply document a place, I wonder what it meant for Lear, as an outsider, to represent this Italian town. The figures in the foreground add a human element, yet they also emphasize the distance between the viewer, the artist, and the community itself. What do you think? Does this image invite you in, or keep you at a distance?