Vuё des ruines des fauxbourgs de la Ville de Dresde

In the middle of the 1700’s, Bernardo Bellotto was the official court painter for Saxony’s royal family in Dresden. He was famous for his big, detailed views of the city. Unfortunately, his work met severe disruption with the outbreak of the Seven-Years War in 1756. His royal patron soon left town, and in 1758, Bellotto did too. Three years later, he returned and saw the devastation brought by an enemy bombardment in 1760. Much of the city was destroyed, including his house. Here he memorialized the damage by showing the ruins of the suburban district of Pirna, a few miles southeast of central Dresden. The melancholy view of the ruins is unusual for the simple reason that patrons usually choose to celebrate triumphs rather than mourn losses. Bellotto’s gritty style was ideal for the task of depicting shattered buildings and forlorn inhabitants. His slightly hurried strokes and jabbing dashes lend a sense of immediacy—and perhaps pain or anger—to the image.