Haven bij een stadsmuur, mogelijk in de buurt van Nerva 1773

Jean-Baptist Leprince created this brown wash drawing, Haven bij een stadsmuur, mogelijk in de buurt van Nerva, some time in the 18th century. Leprince lived during a time of vast social inequality. The son of a painter, he would have experienced this first hand. Leprince, like many artists of his time, looked to Italy for inspiration. Here we see a port scene with the buildings perched high on a hill. The artist's choice of a monochromatic brown wash lends the scene a feeling of antiquity, of a place far removed. On the harbor front, figures congregate, some working, others seemingly idle. It is hard to know what their lives are like, but they are tied to this place. The emotional heart of the drawing lies in the contrast between the bustling foreground and the stoic architecture in the distance. Leprince makes us feel the weight of history bearing down on the everyday. The image captures a moment in time, but it also speaks to the timelessness of human experience.