Drawing Detail
Ruins of the Ancient City of TindariArtist: Jean-Pierre-Laurent Houel
Medium: Drawings, Brush, gouache and grey wash, 30x42 cm
Date: Between 1776 and 1779
Genre: Landscape
Source: Acquired for Catherine II from the author, 1782/1783
The Greek town of Tindaris was founded by the tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysius I, in 396 BC. Houel's here combines objective precision in the depiction of a specific location with an emotional perception of the grandiose majesty of nature.