Ruins in 18th century painting. Ruinist dreamers? Sometimes, it is still useful to forget all the knowledge gained at school and institute, in order to look in a new way, at simple, long-known things. And then something new will certainly open up. Etc

They haven't completely stood the test of time, have they? Otherwise they would not have been called ruins. But, despite the obvious traces of decay, the loss of the full appearance, once conceived by unknown geniuses, there is still a lot of beauty in them. Yes. Despite the fact, looking at them, you feel the burden of centuries…. They are witnesses of the flourishing of civilization, how many generations feasted or prayed in these ruins, which were once beautiful palaces and temples!
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Machu Picchu (Cuzco, Peru)

Photo Boris G
... The city of ancient America Machu Picchu in the country of modern Peru, at the top of a mountain range at an altitude of 2450 meters above sea level, it dominates the valley of the Urubamba River.

Chichen Itza (Tinum, Mexico)

Photo Ted Van Pelt

Pre-Columbian Mayan city of Chichen Itza​​ visited by over 1.2 million people annually. It is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico. One of the most legendary and mysterious ...

Stonehenge (Wiltshire, England)

And this one? Do you recognize? Romantic building…. A sanctuary built in an incomprehensible way. How did the ancients raise these stones?
Surrounded by hundreds of graves, Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England. Archaeologists claim that it was built between 3000 and 2000 BC.

Ta Prohm (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

Even better known for filming the blockbuster Tomb Raider Lara Croft, captured by trees and suffocating vines, Ta Prohm has retained the mysterious atmosphere of the past and has become for many a highlight of the Angkor complex.

The Council of the French School of the Far East decided not to carry out a full-scale restoration in the temple, although, on the one hand, the trees were slowly destroying the monument, on the other, they were so fused with the ancient walls that they became one with them.

Created by Jayavarman VII for his mother, and consecrated in 1186, Ta Prohm Temple became a central part of the city as well as an active Buddhist monastery.

"Stone caves at the Dragon Gate ( Longmen)

Longmen (literally "Stone Caves at the Dragon Gate") is a complex of Buddhist cave temples in the Chinese province of Henan, 12 km south of Luoyang. Along with Mogao and Yungang, it is considered one of the three most significant cave temple complexes in China. Included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Luxor Temple (Luxor, Egypt)

Ancient people called Luxor in Egypt (then Thebes) "the city of palaces". Indeed, several magnificent temples have survived in Lukosr and its environs.

Hadrian's shaft

Hadrian's Wall stretches across northern England from the Irish to the North Sea. The wall was assembled from stones, peat and turf 5-6 high ... Val Hadrian's fortress. The best preserved ruins of fortifications can be seen in the counties of Cumbria and Northumberland.

Baalbek (Bekaa, Lebanon)

Already in the 16th century in Europe it became known about the presence of grandiose ruins here, which became a must-see point for European travelers of the 19th century. Flaubert, Twain and Bunin left interesting descriptions of their impressions of Baalbek.

And this is the largest processed stone. Riddle, how did the ancients manage?

Among all the wonders of antiquity, the Baalbek Veranda (Baalbek Terrace) occupies a special position.
From the guide:
An almost mystical history is connected with this city: when it was rediscovered by archaeologists, many came to the conclusion that it was the fruit of the construction of extraterrestrial civilizations that explored the solar system in antiquity. It was hard to believe that the huge blocks of the Baalbek terrace were the result of only human labor without the use of any high-tech mechanisms.

Coba (Quintana Roo, Mexico)

In the first millennium AD, Coba was the largest Mayan city with a population of 50 thousand people. After the Spanish conquistadors came to Yucatan, the Indians left the city, and the buildings gradually collapsed and overgrown with jungle. The ruins of Koba were discovered at the end of the 19th century, but excavations continue to this day.

Original taken from geogen_mir in the SECRETS OF CIVILIZATION. Ancient ruins in paintings and prints by Sebastian and Marco Riccia

Original taken from by_enigma in Ruins of an ancient civilization in paintings and prints by Sebastiano Ricci and Marco Ricci

Hubert Robert, Panini Giovanni Paolo and of course Piranesi Giovanni are recognized masters of painting. However, there were little-known painters in our country who also painted the destroyed heritage of previous civilizations. It was with such artists that I wanted to introduce you. Meet Sebastiano Ricci and Marco Ricci.

My remarks: People very often post such selections like this, absolutely not understanding their hidden meaning. As far as I understand, the artists who painted these paintings lived at the end of the 17th century. And the paintings depict Italy of their time. And what do we see? And we see "ancient" Rome. Only this "ancient world" is not more than 100 years old. If not less. Pay attention to the statues, they are painted almost intact in the paintings. with rare exceptions, only the heads have been torn off. Well, here it is clear - the neck is usually thin and where it is thin there and it breaks. By the way, it is not entirely clear why the statues were preserved. Is the material from which they are made stronger than the one from which the houses were built? But one way or another, but "ancient" Rome, we can confidently date the 16th century. By the way, in the next picture and the last one, the pyramids are very clearly visible. But today's archaeologists will unearth such ruins and take them to the time before the birth of Christ.
In general, all this is consistent with my research on this score. The history we know began in Europe somewhere in the 15th century. And all the antiquities from there, from the Middle Ages. But what kind of Middle Ages is it?
They wrote me a comment here:We have an abandoned building from 1986. it was not completed. Bushes and trees like those sprouted on it. what's in the pictures. And nearby birches grow thicker than here. This is despite the fact that Belarus is not Italy. Our trees grow more slowly. Ruins in the structure of damage to buildings were not destroyed by Time and not by local marauders There is no "cultural layer" on the ground under the buildings. I believe that the artists painted the destruction that occurred during their lifetime..

Take a look at the work of these three artists. According to official opinions, they all wrote in the style of "Architectural Fantasy", "Catastrophism", architectural romanticism and surrealism. This could still be admitted if it were not for the complete coincidence with the multitude of objects of cultural heritage that actually exist before and now. Many matches have been shown in this article:

Here are these selections from artists who, most likely, found all this desolation and decay from the majestic buildings:

Secrets of past civilizations. Part 1(click to watch)

The French artist Hubert Robert (1733-1808) traveled a lot in Europe and left us some very interesting paintings from which we can unearth something about our past. It is believed that Hubert had a good imagination and he painted many of his canvases only from his many fantasies of majestic ruins, but is this really so? Is this even possible? The paintings clearly show that the people depicted on them live among the ruins of past civilizations and absolutely cannot at least bring them into a decent look, not to mention some kind of restoration. Either people were very lazy, or they could not work on such a scale and using a technology unknown to them. Unfortunately, due to the ignorance of our ancestors, not so many remnants of past civilizations have survived to our times, but the existing copies pose quite a lot of inconvenient questions to our historians, who either modestly keep silent or carry complete nonsense, thereby contaminating the historical memory of great civilizations.

Secrets of past civilizations. Part 2(click to watch)

Charles-Louis Clerisseau (1721-1820) is a very interesting artist, or rather his paintings are very interesting. It is believed that Charles worked in the so-called "Architectural Fantasy" style, since historians believe that everything that is depicted in the artist's pictures is fiction, imaginary objects and they did not exist in reality. One can agree with this, but one can argue with it. This leaves quite a lot of room for everyone to think for themselves. For our part, we just want to be surprised if all these exquisite architectural solutions with high detail and drawing are only an artist's invention, and not traces of past advanced civilizations.

Secrets of past civilizations. Part 3(click to watch)

Works by the Italian archaeologist, architect and graphic artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Giovanni, like his fellow artists Hubert Robert and Charles Louis Clerisso, painted in the style of architectural romanticism and surrealism, that is, everything that he depicted on canvases was the fruit of his imagination. This is what the official history tells us. But is this even possible? The paintings clearly show that the people depicted on them live among the ruins of past civilizations and absolutely cannot at least bring them into a decent look, not to mention some kind of restoration. Either people were very lazy, or they could not work on such a scale and using a technology unknown to them. The people depicted in general do not fit into the grandiose buildings in scale. That is, either Giovanni is a genius of fantasy, or he painted from nature, which could well be in reality. Let's look at the engravings from the point of view of the reality of the events and types depicted on them.

Capriccio (Italian capriccio, literally "whim") - a genre of landscape painting, popular in the XVII-XVIII centuries. The paintings of this genre depicted architectural fantasies, mainly the ruins of fictional ancient structures.

Robert Hubert, French painter (1733-1808). Known for his picturesque fantasies, whose main motive is parks and real majestic ruins, many sketches for which he made during his stay in Italy. Robert's paintings were highly regarded by his contemporaries. His paintings are presented in the Louvre, the Carnival Museum, the St. Petersburg Hermitage and other palaces and estates in Russia, in many major museums in Europe, USA, Canada, Australia. What the painter depicted on his canvases raises many questions, but historians did not bother, summarizing that this was only the author's "imagination" and considered the topic closed.

"Capriccio with pyramids"

"Architectural landscape with a canal"

The artist traveled a lot in Europe and left us very interesting paintings, from which we can get some idea of ​​the past.

"Ruins of a Doric Temple"

"Terrace ruins in Marly Park"

This is the palace and park complex of Sanssouci in Potsdam, built in 1745-1747 according to the design of King Frederick the Great himself. The building, it turns out, is completely new at that time, but for some reason the artist is drawn to paint its imaginary ruins.

"Ancient ruins serving as a public bath"

"Villa Madama near Rome"

From Wikipedia: "The later name of the country villa of Cardinal Giulio de Medici, the future Pope Clement VII, unfinished in the 16th century. Built on the slope of Monte Mario on the western bank of the Tiber River north of the Vatican." But in my opinion these are the ruins of a structure that is much older.

"Washerwomen among the ruins"

It is clearly seen in his paintings that the people depicted on them live among the ruins of past civilizations and absolutely cannot at least bring them into a decent look, not to mention some kind of restoration.

"Forgotten Statue"

"Stable in the ruins of Villa Julia"

The depicted people by their appearance do not at all correspond to the grandiose structures and look like swarming mice among these ruins of their former grandeur.

"A hermit prays among the ruins of an ancient temple"

"Staircase with columns"

"Old Bridge"

"Portico of a country mansion"

"Tomb of Cecilia Metella in Rome"

"Interior of the Temple of Diana in Nimes"

"Pont du Gard"

"View of the port of Ripetta in Rome"

"Coliseum"

"Passage at the obelisk"

"Landscape with an arch and a dome of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome"

"Ruin"

"Italian Park"

Guardi Francesco Lazzaro(1712-1793) - Italian painter, representative of the Venetian school of painting. He is also a great dreamer, otherwise how to explain such absolutely fantastic views of Venice?

"Capriccio with pyramid"

"Arcade in front of the city with towers"

"Capriccio"

"Capriccio"

"Capriccio with bridge, ruins and lagoon"

"Venice"

Giovanni Paolo Panini(1691 - 1765) - one of the founders of the architectural ruin landscape. The artist inhabited his architectural views and interiors with small human figures, playing on the favorite theme of the 18th century - the juxtaposition of the grandeur of the ancient past and the triviality of the present. As an artist, Panini is best known for his paintings of the sights of Rome, in which he paid great attention to his antiquity.

Rome lay in ruins, living among the grandiose remnants of its history. The ruins were the Colosseum, temples, baths, which were part of everyday life, they were inhabited. Attaching huts to stone walls, hammering up palace windows with boards, attaching wooden ladders to marble, covering ancient vaults with thatch. And among those ruins, artists and architects swarmed with their albums and tape measures, again and again trying to extract from them the secrets of eternal beauty ...

"Architectural capriccio"

"Pantheon"

"Interior of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome"

"Capriccio of the classic ruins"

"Interior view of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome"

Giovanni Antonio Canaletto(1697 - 1768) Italian artist, head of the Venetian school of Vedutists, master of urban landscapes in the style of academicism, also painted canvases in the style of architectural romanticism. Giovanni Paolo Panini had a great influence on his work.

"Architectural capriccio"

"Arch of Constantine in Rome"

"Piazza Navona in Rome"

"Capriccio with the ruins and the Portello gate in Padua"

Alessandro Magnasco(1667-1749). Italian painter, representative of the romantic trend in the art of the Baroque. Born in Genoa. Alessandro Magnasco wrote genre scenes from the life of gypsies, soldiers, monks, marked by "demonic" sarcasm, in many of which figures of people are lost among the grandiose ancient ruins.

"Bacchanalia"

"Halt of bandits"

"Architectural capriccio with a musician and peasants at the small altar of St. Anthony of Padua"

Nicholas Peters Berchem(1620-1683) - Dutch painter, graphic artist and engraver. This master traveled a lot in Italy and also painted quite a lot of landscapes, in which the main characters are undoubtedly picturesque ruins, as well as peasants with their cattle in their background.

"Landscape with the ruins of an aqueduct"

"Shepherds with a herd among the ruins"

"Italian landscape with ruins"

"Italian landscape"

"Peasants with livestock at an ancient Roman source"

"Return from the Hunt"

"Landscape with a waterfall and the temple of the Sibyl in Tivoli"

Draw me yourself in an abandoned castle of desires
The silence of the old walls, gray from eternal snow,
Crazy winter of pain-bound expectations
Expectations of frantic sighs and sonorous steps.

French academic classicism in landscape painting is interesting, primarily in the context of the "poetics of ruins", as a symbolic category of European classicism. Landscapes of ruins, as a genre, were developed thanks to the artists of Venice. The artists arranged the city space in deep, balanced compositions, instead of panoramic landscapes. When combined, the resulting landscapes were obtained.

In the design of the poem, my collages of the Scottish Abbey Inchmahome priory were used in combination with the works of photo-artists Christiane Vleugels and Konstantin Kacev, poetry - Zaur Hadith http://vk.com/id139047606. To illustrate the theoretical part - landscapes of the ruins of European and Russian artists of the 17-18 centuries.

Draw me a bed - black ice, covered with white silk,
Draw me the moon - bright bright, painful in my eyes
Let her proud light push away from the truth hidden
For the madness of faith in your rebellious tears

Let, for the first time in thousands of years, reflected not by silvery ice,
It will take off and melt, die burning hot,
Draw, draw it for me! Bright, windy, clean,
A moment before death, a moment before fate, and more ...

Draw me yourself - a warm sweater on a naked body,
Sweep an innocent hand from knee to hip and back
Trembling at your fingertips - familiar, beautiful, skillful,
Carrying you away to heaven, or to hell

The wind fluttering dark curls over white silk
Either a groan, or an exhalation that flew from bitten lips,
Draw the pain of love. And break ... And a crooked shard
Give my name - a jester from unknown troupes.

Draw me your dream - black ink on white pages
Where a hand does not touch the chest, suddenly sliding over sweaty shoulders,
Where I won't be ... And completely unfamiliar faces
It will be windy - softly whispering about love at night.

Draw so that these drawings would flog my soul,
Every stroke, like a blow, tore the skin to shreds from the back,
What would be a cry with an anguish, to a wild rage, to a pain
I was jealous of you for the castle of snow and eternal winter.

Quiet ... God, how quiet ... Sorry ... No, no goodbyes! ..
But the pen creaks on the paper, singing love -
You paint yourself in an abandoned castle of desires
In the silence of the old walls, gray with eternal snows.

Composition: Whisper of Stars

Artists of the 17-18 centuries shifted their attention to urban space, the free beauty of a diverse, variegated city. Just as elegant Venice created for all of Europe the principles of depicting a modern living city in painting, so Rome turned out to be a natural center for all who depicted historical architecture, a center painting ruins ..

Rome lay in ruins, living among the grandiose remnants of its two thousand year history. The ruins were the Colosseum, temples, baths, which were part of everyday life, they were inhabited. Attaching huts to stone walls, hammering up palace windows with boards, attaching wooden ladders to marble, covering ancient vaults with thatch. And among those ruins, artists and architects swarmed with their albums and tape measures, again and again trying to extract from them the secrets of eternal beauty ...

Ruin were reproduced in the Renaissance. But the real aesthetics of ruins were not born until the 17th century. Ancient ruins become a sign of the connection between times, a symbol of centuries, invisibly flowing over the majestically calm space of the landscape. They even give importance to nature itself, making it a witness to history.

History and role ruinized architectures were significant, this is evidenced by the abundance of images of architecture created in the 17th and 18th centuries. In these images, starting with N. Poussin, E. Allegrain, and ending with G. Robert, the architectural ideals of their time are embodied. The Italian artist of the Baroque era Alessandro Magnasco, who painted fantastic landscapes with architectural views, and also the French artist Hubert Robert, both included ruins, arches, colonnades, ancient temples in their canvases, but in a somewhat fantastic form, with exaggerations.

Towns and castles, churches and gardens, images of the distant past amazed the imagination of the people of the 18th century. It was already century of tourism, Russians and British, French and Germans, with a guide in their hands, met at Roman forums. Different countries were looking for different experiences. Italy existed with its ruins, its architectural monuments .. For those. to whom travel was inaccessible, as well as for those who, after the trip, wanted to preserve the memory of what they saw, there was leaduta- documentary and poeticized image of interesting places, city landscapes.

Further leaduta from @Milendia: several views of the Abbey Inchmahome priory on Menteith Island- this Perthshire island is far from tourist routes, but locals often visit there, making pilgrimages as to a place of power. Here are some scenic shots of the ruins of this Abbey.

Inchmahome Island is located on the lake Menteith (Laich o Menteith ), which is the only natural body of water in Scotland called Lake, not Loch... On the largest of the islandsInchmahome is a priory (monastery) Inchmahome Priory, in 1547 which served as a refuge for a four-year Mary Stuart , queens Mary (Queen Mary). ...

The monastery of Inchmahome was founded by Walter Comyn - Earl of Menteith in 1238 for the small Augustinian brethren. It has been proven that there was already a church on the island before the foundation of the monastery. The monastery opened its doors to many distinguished guests. King Robert the Bruce visited him three times: in 1306, 1308 and 1310. In 1358, the future king Robert II also stayed at the monastery. Beginning in the 16th century, the heads of abbeys and monasteries were appointed by local landowners who often did not share the religious goals of the monks.