Campagna Landscape on the Via Flaminia

From the Getty Museum record

A talented landscapist, Venus rendered this panoramic view, which he saw on the Via Flaminia, the ancient road that linked Rome to northern Italy, cutting its way across the mountainous central region of the peninsula. Ruins of Roman tower tombs, visible in the distance, are bathed in the soft, wintry light. Venus executed this watercolor on the spot, applying the medium with wonderful looseness and coloristic clarity. The composition is structured horizontally through contrasting tonal areas, and the whole conveys the artist's fascination with the unique atmosphere of the countryside.