Some places do not just exist in front of you—they go straight through you.
My newest oil pastel and graphite drawing is of the Pantheon in Rome came from that exact feeling. Every time I stand before it, I’m completely undone. I am consumed with emotion, without fail. There is something about the weight of history, the quiet perfection of the geometry, the light pouring through the oculus like a living presence — it hits me in a place I cannot easily rationalise. No other building has ever moved me this way.
What made the moment even more powerful in 2025 was sharing it with my former partner, who said she too felt the same overwhelming emotion. Standing there together, both of us quietly shaken by the same force, created a deeper connection between us, like the building itself was holding space for that shared vulnerability.
Creating this latest drawing felt like trying to translate all of that into my minimalist use of essential lines and a singular colour, azzurro, the national colour of Italy. I allowed the softness of oil pastel carry the feelings of time and employed graphite to 'carve' the Latin phrase" M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIVM·FECIT" which translates to "Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, three times consul, built this". Though Emperor Hadrian rebuilt the structure centuries later he retained this tribute to Agrippa, the original commissioner, as a gesture of respect to the first Pantheon's builder.
I was then honoured when the official Pantheon Instagram account [@pantheon_roma] shared the drawing with the world in their stories. Knowing that this deeply personal response — rooted in love, awe, and shared human connection — was seen and celebrated by the very institution that protects the Pantheon feels profoundly full-circle.
Best Wishes
T.
Photo (c) 2026 Teddy McDonald
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