The Death of Marcus Aurelius

The Death of Marcus Aurelius

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

The Past and the Present


Thomas Cole, The Past (1838)



Thomas Cole, The Present (1838)



2 comments:

  1. These are gorgeous.

    I almost like the second one better. I feel like the artist was making a point about the inevitable passage of time, everything decays, etc etc etc, but when I look at the second one, I see a man able to enjoy the ruins for themselves without all the baggage of palace intrigue and pleasing a king. Anyone who comes across them can be king of them, though no one can stay king of them.

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