"I painted the Farnese Loggia eleven years after actually being there. The Loggia, a Rennaisance construction, sits in the midst of a beautiful garden atop the Palatine Hill in the heart of Rome. According to legend, the Palatine is the site where Romulus founded the city of Rome in 753 B.C. Today, the Palatine Garden sits like a peaceful oasis above the noise of the city around it. I tried to capture in this painting the tranquilty that I remember there."
- Russell Smith