Ruïne van het Colosseum te Rome Possibly 1613 - 1717

Jan Gerritsz van Bronckhorst made this watercolor and pen artwork of the Ruin of the Colosseum in Rome. Notice the artist's structural use of the golden-hued frame as a way to highlight the ruin, which is itself divided in three structural parts: the foundation, the vertical columns and the top, overgrown with vegetation. This contrasts with the openness of the sky, horizon, and cloud in the background. The artist has used contrasting colors to differentiate these sections: warm tones for the Colosseum's ruin, greens for the vegetation, and cool colors for the sky. Consider this use of structure as an analogy for the themes of history and mortality. Van Bronckhorst uses his artistic skills to communicate the transient nature of human achievement against the backdrop of timeless nature.