View near Naples 1769

Curator: François Vivares’ "View near Naples" feels like a stage set to me, all hazy atmosphere and dramatically placed trees. Editor: I see echoes of the sublime in the contrasting elements. The pastoral foreground with the looming castle and turbulent sea, evokes the transience of human life. Curator: True, there's definitely that push-and-pull between the ideal and the real happening. The figures almost seem like they’re performing a play for us. Editor: Naples, a city with a very long history, so the tower with the boats and the architecture would be very important symbols of power, trade, and time. Curator: And yet, there's something timeless about it too, as if those activities have always been happening, and always will. Editor: It’s a testament to how places hold onto our collective stories, whether we're fully conscious of them or not.