A caprice to eat off

The capriccio is an almost extinct genre of art. The trends of the late 19th century were inimitable to it, and it was not such a robust growth that it could survive either Adolf Loo's pronouncement that "all ornament is crime" or Monet's urge for unvarnished truth. For a capriccio is by definition both ornamental and false.

Nor did it get a chance to revive during the 20th century, for a capriccio is also whimsical, and whimsy is the enemy of modernism. Since the '90s, of course, you could paint what you wanted, and there are talented folk out there reviving the art of imaginary landscapes.

Certainly in the realm of game and movie design this is big business, but somehow doing it by committee for a team-built end product doesn't feel very whimsical.

And there's no doubt that some amazing images have been created, so I shouldn't complain. Being unable to live up to Pirenesi is not really a criticism.

As for myself, my contribution is more modest. It's a paper plate. I did try something bigger a little while ago.

I did it during a conference lecture. The lecture was not boring; it was inspiring.