Tempelruïne 1852

Paulus Lauters created this artwork called "Temple Ruins" sometime in the 1800's. Using shades of grey and brown to make this print, Lauters draws us into a world where nature reclaims what humans have left behind. The composition uses linear perspective to lead the eye towards the ruins. It is surrounded by an overgrowth of trees which are towering over the architecture. The ruins themselves, rendered with careful detail, show the effects of time and decay. The structure is crumbling, stones are displaced, and yet the form still speaks of its original grandeur. Lauters seems to destabilize the idea of permanence by showing how nature and time affect the world around us. The ruins and surrounding people remind us that everything is in a state of flux. It is the careful balance between these elements that makes this piece a visual statement on the transient nature of civilization.