Aquaducts beneath Santa Bonaventura in Roma 1810

Curator: This is Joseph Anton Koch's "Aquaducts beneath Santa Bonaventura in Roma," currently housed at the Harvard Art Museums. The etching portrays a ruinous landscape near Rome. Editor: The tonality is striking—sepia, somber, with sharp contrasts defining the ruined aqueducts. It feels almost dreamlike. Curator: Aqueducts, especially in ruins, carry a weight of history. The past literally crumbling and being overgrown by nature, a powerful symbol of time's passage. Editor: Absolutely, and Koch’s composition reinforces that. The aqueducts dominate the foreground, drawing the eye towards the more distant city on the hill. The linear quality of the etching directs our gaze precisely. Curator: I'm particularly drawn to the figures in the foreground. Their presence suggests a continuity, a dialogue between past grandeur and present life. A statement about cultural endurance perhaps? Editor: Perhaps, but look at the density of the foliage! It nearly obscures the aqueducts, blurring the sharp lines and softening the overall form. Is it a celebration of nature's power over human structures? Curator: It's a delicate balance, I think. Koch acknowledges both the enduring power of Rome and the inevitable reclamation by the natural world. Editor: Ultimately, the interplay between form and ruin creates an evocative image, capturing the delicate tension between past and present. Curator: Yes, a potent meditation on time, memory, and the enduring spirit of place.