Kloostergang in Florence 1886 - 1927

This print, *Kloostergang in Florence*, was made by Guglielmo Taubert, and look at the way he uses line to suggest the light flickering through the space. It is as if he is seeing how many different variations of light he can capture in one scene, and that’s the job of the artist really, to see. The texture is implied through a myriad of cross-hatched lines, a real density of marks, each one considered in relation to the whole. Look at how the arches of the cloisters recede into the distance, each one a little darker than the last, pulling us in. The sunlight on the paving stones in the foreground almost blinds us, it’s so intense. This reminds me of Piranesi’s etchings of imaginary prisons. He was able to use line in a similar way, to create vast, imposing spaces. But where Piranesi’s prints are full of dread and claustrophobia, this feels calm, contained, and light. It’s as though Taubert is showing us how to find beauty in the everyday.