Strong Water and Ink Water

Amidst the Ruins

In following the tradition of Italian artist Giorgio Piranesi (1720-1778) with his audacious perspectives and mannerist dramaticism, George Charman finds inspiration not in Roman ruins or baroque architecture, but rather in the Lisbon Earthquake, which occurred contemporaneously with the famous architect. This catastrophic event serves as the driving force behind Charman's powerful metaphors of a civilization in ruins – our own.

The prints, a blend of reality and fiction, recreate the original drawings by M. Paris and T. Pedegache made in 1757 based on eyewitness accounts. They depict the collapse of a city and the icons of a past splendor, evoking a sense of solitude among the ruins. These images, more than mere remnants of crumbling architecture, reveal the fragility of human creations and their absence in the apocalyptic and timeless scenario of values in decline.