Timeless Light in Rome’s Aqueducts
There is a place that I return to over and over again, that is Rome’s aqueduct park or Parco degli Acquedotti. This is a theme and place that has been painted through the centuries and really it has not changed drastically over time. One can still see the paintings of Corot or my personal favorite Ippolito Caffi here.
The Aqueduct Park, Rome
5.5 x 10″
Watercolor on Paper
$195
Available
I’ve certainly lost count of the number of times I have painted from this spot, but it never gets old. Each time I return here the light offers something new. Sometimes the light is cutting through the arches and sometime the entire aqueduct is back lit. On clear days you can see the mountains glowing blue in the distance and other days the haze or fog only lets you see the closest surroundings.
If I get there early or late enough I can catch the shepherds herding the goats and sheep through here out to pasture or back to the barn- then I really feel that I have stepped back in time.
Old Giants, Aqueduct Claudius
5.5 x 10″
Watercolor on Paper
$195
Available
One really does need to spend the day here to fully appreciate all the different light effects throughout the day. This was painted with the last rays of afternoon sun shining through the aqueduct and giving a sense of its real monumentality.
The park is a large open area filled with 3 aqueducts built at different periods all running parallel to each other. As the city grew and the demand for water increased, the Romans just built another aqueduct alongside an older one.
It is hard to describe this place, even in pictures. There is a stillness and overwhelming feeling of being something small amongst something larger than life. Awe is always the feeling that I am left with after having spent a day here.