Forms of ruin

The exhibition at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon devoted to the theme of ruins goes far beyond the chronological and geographical limits of La Tribune de l’Art, showing many works from Antiquity, non-European civilisations and contemporary art (all very well chosen and of excellent quality, including contemporary art, which should be emphasised). But even in our field, the few works presented are of great interest.
Exceptionally, therefore, we will not be commenting directly on this exhibition [1], but we will highlight some of the particularly interesting objects on display, in addition to the fairly expected works (including the many classical landscapes, many of them from Lyon and the Louvre).

1. Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840)
Ruins at Eldena Abbey, c. 1837
Sepia - 7.6 × 23.9 cm
Angers, Musée des Beaux-Arts
Photo: Didier Rykner

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2. Johan Christian Dahl (1788-1857)
Ruins at Tharandt, near Dresden, 1826
Oil on canvas - 15.5 x 16.2 cm
Private collection
Photo: A. Ricci

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Thus, in addition to drawings by Caspar David Friedrich (ill. 1) held at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Angers, the exhibition features a small painting by the Norwegian Johan Cristian Dahl (ill. 2) showing the ruins of a medieval castle near Dresden, painted in a romantic atmosphere very close to the spirit of the German artist.
Alongside prints by Jacques Callot, a drawing by Jean Cousin (ill. 3) on loan from the Louvre is an authentic masterpiece. It depicts naked children playing in ancient ruins.

3. Jean Cousin the Father (1503-after 1560)
Naked Children Playing in Ancient Ruins, c. 1550 (?)
Pen and brown ink, brown ink wash, black chalk - 41.1 × 58.2 cm
Paris, Musée du Louvre
Photo: Didier Rykner

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We have already mentioned on several occasions the cork models of ancient monuments, attributed to Antonio Chichi, kept in the reserves of the Musée…