Views of Rome: Remains of the Temple of Apollo near Hadrian's Villa
1768
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1768
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This painting shows ancient ruins near a villa in Italy. The artist drew inspiration from real places, but also added his own ideas. He was interested in showing how old buildings could be beautiful even when they're falling apart. You can learn more about the use of chiaroscuro, a technique that creates strong contrasts between light and dark, to add depth to scenes like this.
