the herculane stone bridge - print illustration

 The fourth and final illustration from the West Series — the project in collaboration with ADR Vest, where I illustrated, in my own way, four landmarks from the west region of Romania — is of the beautiful Stone Bridge from The Herculane Baths. I'll admit, this one was not my first choice, I've had another beautiful monument in mind from the Herculane region, one that was a bit of a personal choice, but unfortunately that building was not part of this project. But sometimes, for some reason, things just choose us, I think. And the more I learned and drew, the more I began to like this landmark and how the illustration of it was turning out. 

What I've learnt about this monument is that it was built somewhere in the late 1800s, with the walkway gallery being closed up in the early 1900s. It was a beautiful way to get your daily walks, in that time, without being struck by the sun in the summertime. Right now the edifice is not in such a great state, like with most of the buildings in the area, and it's such a shame. If you've ever been to the Herculane Baths, you know how eery everything is and how the place is in complete disarray. But from what I know, there are plans and projects to restore the bridge, especially the walkway and most of the surrounding buildings so I'm hoping that my next visit will be breathtaking. It might take a while though, but I'm very hopeful.

This final illustration is in the colours of spring, I thought spring would fit just right with this one because it is a symbol of hope and rebirth, which is exactly what the stone bridge needs. Fun fact: I don't know if this applies to other countries, but in mine, there was a children's song, like a lullaby, that we used to sing about a stone bridge that collapsed, by the water that took it away, and how we, as a team, would build another, a much more beautiful and stronger one. So when I was drawing this, that is all I could think about.

Here's another look at the entire series: