This romantic composition shows the Greco-Roman theatre at Taormina on the island of Sicily with its mountainous terrain. The vaporous cloud formations hovering above the peak in the distance suggest that it is the volcano Mount Etna. The son of a sculptor, Michallon began his artistic studies in Paris with the leading neoclassical painter Jacques-Louis David. His initial works reflect an earlier tradition of recording panoramic landscape views in careful detail. In 1817, Michallon became the first recipient of the prestigious Prix de Rome and spent the next three years traveling throughout Italy, painting the countryside with its ancient ruins. Returning to Paris in 1821, he opened a studio that was frequented by Camille Corot.