The After Glow, Italy c. 1873

George Inness painted "The After Glow, Italy" with oil on canvas. The striking feature is the tower silhouetted against a golden, luminous sky, a symbol of human presence amidst nature's grandeur. Towers have long captured our collective imagination. Think of the Tower of Babel, a symbol of ambition and hubris, or the defensive towers of medieval castles, evoking safety and power. This tower here, however, seems more ambiguous. It is not imposing, but rather, it blends with the landscape, as if nature is slowly reclaiming it. Consider how towers recur across cultures, from church steeples reaching for the heavens to minarets calling the faithful to prayer. Each resonates with the desire to connect the earthly with the divine. Here, Inness uses this iconic form to tap into our subconscious, prompting reflections on time, memory, and our relationship with the environment. It whispers of the cyclical nature of rise and fall, reminding us of the transient nature of human endeavors.