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Capriccio of Classical Ruins with Boats

Capriccio of Classical Ruins with Boats

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Hubert Robert

Like many French artists of his time, Hubert Robert went to Italy to study painting. He was in Rome from 1754 until 1765, when he probably painted the Capriccio of Classical Ruins with Boat and its companion piece Capriccio of Classical Ruins with Pyramid. The Italian word capriccio, a musical term meaning whimsical or improvisational, here refers to the playful assemblage of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian objects in the same space. He dramatized his majestic ruins by placing small rustic figures in the scene and by using stage-set lighting with strong shadows in the foreground. Robert became a friend of Italian artists Piranesi and Pannini and introduced their type of romantic ruin-painting to France, although in a more restrained and realistic manner.
Artist
Hubert Robert
(French, 1733 - 1808)
Title
Capriccio of Classical Ruins with Boats
Date
ca. 1760
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
38 x 52 in. Overall
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Firman H. Hass
Accession No.
71.17
Classification
Paintings
Geography
France

Related

Agnew Gallery, London; Ryan; Christie’s, London, Important Pictures by Old Masters, July 2, 1965, lot 125 (sold to Ryan) listed as "The Property of a Lady of Title"

  • Haggerty Museum of Art. "The Cult of Ruins: Visions of Antiquity in the Eighteenth Century." Milwaukee: Haggerty Museum of Art, 1999

  • Cult of Ruins, The: Visions of Antiquity in the Eighteenth Century: Haggerty Museum of Art, Marquette University, 3/26/1999–5/2/1999
  • Recent Acquisitions: Elvehjem Art Center, 6/11/1971–8/29/1971

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