William James Stillman (American, 1828 – 1901)
Erectheum from the Parthenon
Reproduction print from an Albumen silver print, 1882
In photograph number 50 in the “Atene” album Stillman gives us a view of the Erectheum from a distance – as it would be seen from the Parthanon. Between the two temples the jumble of column pieces and other building fragments litters the ground. These foreground objects are captured in the same crisp focus as the Erectheum in the distance. Another of Ruskin’s strictures demanded that art be absolutely true to nature, and therefore the same emphasis and clarity is given to the foreground as is given to the background.
