#pether

Evening scene with full moon and persons (1801)

Sebastian Pether - The Eruption of Vesuvius

Painted in 1824 Eruption of Vesuvius with Destruction of a Roman City by Sebastian Pether is a panoramic landscape depiction of the eruption in 79 CE that destroyed the city as well as its neighboring city of Herculaneum. Painted during Pether’s stay in the region this painting is a result of an era where gentlemen with money would travel ‘the continent’ as part of the finishing of their education (Roberts 2013). Called ‘The Grand Tour’  individuals from artists to future parliamentary leaders would travel to Rome, Greece and other places of western culture often producing memoirs of their travels as well as art and music. As an Englishman Pether’s decision to go to Greece and Rome instead of France (as some of his contemporaries) lies in current events of the time. While not at war with France, England’s empirical colonizing that had begun in the later 1700s had continued into the 1800s had led to some hostility to the nation that had helped the American colonies become independent. In addition, the resulting philosophical and economic turbulence from the French Revolution and subsequent internal conflicts made France, while still a bastion of culture, less than ideal for an Englishman seeking to see the world.  Knowledge of the ‘grand tour’ is essential to explaining Pether’s landscape as the grand tour was one of the educational aspects of the era that encouraged the neoclassical era of the arts where Greek and Roman artwork and style came into vogue. From the empire waisted dresses of the era to the Romanesque pillars and peaks used in the building of homes, the impact of Greek and Roman ideas and art saw a revival in this era.

          As an artist Pether was fond of doing large dramatic landscapes and country scenes. Usually moonlit these paintings feel dreamy and calm as a result. The Eruption of Vesuvius with Destruction of a Roman City dramatically differs, however, with the dreamy aspect marred by the apocalyptically erupting volcano. The apocalyptic bright colors of the painting center on the erupting volcano with the doomed city painted in stark white. While Pether’s signature calm moon and landscape remain toward the side of the painting the viewer’s gaze is drawn to the movement and drama outlined in red (Ruzicka, 2000). In his similar The Eruption of Vesuvius painted two years later a similar technique is used. In this painting the only thing that tells us that this is Rome instead of a mythological or imagined landscape is the small part of a roman villa in the left corner of the painting. It is likely that it is a reproduction of the ancient ones as that was common at the time the painting was done and Pether may have seen some on his tour. What is important in this second view of Pompeii is that it is likely a mirror image of the previous painting. Evidence for this lies in the fact that the white light to the right of the erupting volcano in the second painting is in the same place as the city in the first. In addition, the position of the lake is flipped from right to left as well. This aspect makes the original painting seem like it may have been a preparatory one. While both the Eruption of Vesuvius with Destruction of a Roman City and The Eruption of Vesuvius have small figures to the side the latter one has small boats moving across the lake recalling stories of people fleeing the devastation via boat(Ruzicka, 2000). The lake in both paintings is likely The Bay of Naples which was used as an escape route during the eruption.