Strong Water and Ink Water

Among Ruins

Inspired by the bold perspectives and manneristic drama of Italian artist Giorgio Piranesi (1720-1778), George Charman finds his inspiration not in Roman ruins or baroque architecture, but in the Lisbon Earthquake, which coincided with the famous architect's time. Charman's powerful metaphors depict a civilization in ruins – our own. Through a blend of reality and fiction, his engravings recreate the original drawings by M. Paris and T. Pedegache, made in 1757 based on eyewitness accounts.

Charman captures the collapse of a city and the icons of its past splendor, portraying a sense of solitude among the ruins. These remnants of crumbling architecture are not only evidence of our frail human creations, but also a reflection of our absence in the apocalyptic and timeless scenario of values in decline.