Spanish Steps, Rome

Gustave de Beaucorps

National Gallery of Art

The image shows a low angle view of a grand staircase leading upwards into the distance. The steps dominate the scene with their repetitive horizontal lines. In the distance, the staircase converges towards a complex of ornate buildings topped with an obelisk. The horizon is marked by the roofline of these buildings against the darkened sky. The image is in a negative photographic style with a stark contrast between the black sky and the pale structures and staircase, giving the scene a surreal quality.