Profiel van de binnenmuren en buitenmuren van de oude stad Manduria 1778

Louis Ducros made this watercolor of the old city of Manduria in the late 18th century. It's painted on paper, a relatively new material at the time. Notice how Ducros contrasts the rough, unfinished texture of the ancient walls with the smoother surfaces of the buildings behind. The crumbling stone suggests the weight of history, the slow work of time and the elements. But the way he's rendered the buildings shows a different kind of labor, a careful construction to create flat, even surfaces. Ducros is reminding us that labor and construction has always existed, while contrasting new and old techniques of making. His watercolor shows the importance of understanding materiality and production in understanding the meaning of this image. It blurs the line between fine art and documentation, reminding us that all making has a purpose and communicates something about its time.