Reproductie van een tekening van het standbeeld Proximus tuus door Achille D'Orsi before 1885

Editor: This is a reproduction, made before 1885, of a drawing of Achille D'Orsi's sculpture, "Proximus Tuus." It seems to be presented as a print or a photograph. There's a real sense of weary resignation in the figure’s posture. How do you interpret this work in its historical context? Curator: It’s interesting that you pick up on the weariness. Consider the title, "Proximus Tuus," which translates to "Thy Neighbor." D’Orsi was working in a time of significant social upheaval and displacement, particularly in Southern Italy. The question then becomes, who is considered “neighbor” and who is excluded or marginalized? Editor: So, it’s a commentary on societal attitudes toward poverty or immigration, perhaps? The figure does look like he's experiencing hardship. Curator: Precisely. How does D'Orsi invite or deny empathy through this figure? Think about how academic art often idealized the human form, and how this departs from that tradition by depicting a working-class figure with such apparent vulnerability. Where does this figure exist within hierarchies of power? Is this vulnerability empowering or disempowering? Editor: I see what you mean. There’s definitely a tension between the realism of the subject and the inherent idealization within academic art. Curator: It makes us consider the gaze, doesn't it? Who is meant to see this, and what is their relationship to the person depicted? What dialogues emerge for a contemporary viewer? Editor: It’s a powerful reminder that art can be a mirror reflecting societal inequalities and sparking essential conversations about compassion and responsibility. Thanks for providing such crucial framing and context. Curator: It also underlines the responsibility we have to continuously question established norms and narratives. The act of looking is never neutral.