1760
oil
canvas
From the collection of Brooklyn Museum
Washerwomen in the Ruins of the Colosseum is a 1760 oil by Hubert Robert, a Rococo painting work, held at Brooklyn Museum.
In the painting, Washerwomen in the Ruins of the Colosseum, a group of women are depicted doing laundry in the ancient Colosseum. The women are dressed in traditional clothing and are surrounded by the crumbling architecture of the Colosseum. The scene is set against a backdrop of a cloudy sky. The artist, Hubert Robert, has used a range of colors to bring the scene to life. The women's clothing is depicted in warm tones, while the stone walls of the Colosseum are shown in cool grays and browns. The overall effect is one of tranquility and everyday life amidst ancient ruins. To learn more about the artist's use of light and shadow, explore the technique of chiaroscuro.
Hubert Robert (French pronunciation: ; 22 May 1733 – 15 April 1808) was a French painter in the school of Romanticism, noted especially for his landscape paintings and capricci, or semi-fictitious picturesque depictions of ruins in Italy and of France.
See the richer artist page
