Altaar des Hemels te Peking before 1920

Editor: So this is Donald Mennie's gelatin silver print, "Altaar des Hemels te Peking," or the Altar of Heaven in Beijing, created sometime before 1920. I'm really struck by how formal and imposing the composition feels. What do you make of it? Curator: It’s interesting you say "imposing." I see that too. Consider the Altar of Heaven's role – a place for the emperor to commune with the divine. This wasn’t just architecture; it was a stage for legitimizing power. How might Mennie’s choice of the gelatin silver process, fairly new at the time, contribute to this sense of authority? Editor: Perhaps its crisp detail and tonal range lend the image a kind of documentary gravitas, reinforcing the Altar’s established power. I wonder if the framing of the shot, with so much paved ground in the foreground, was a conscious choice. Curator: Absolutely. Think about how photography, especially in the hands of Western photographers like Mennie in early 20th century China, operated within unequal power dynamics. Who gets to represent whom, and for what audience? That empty foreground almost emphasizes distance – who is allowed close? Is it the photographer or the emperor? Editor: It almost feels like a carefully policed emptiness. Curator: Precisely! It wasn’t an accident; the very layout speaks volumes about access and control. It might reveal something deeper about the artist and how he approached image-making in a colonial environment. How do you feel about that approach after looking closer at the artwork? Editor: This image presents some interesting questions about cultural exchange, the artist's intentions, and the politics embedded within its composition. Curator: Indeed, reflecting on the interplay between social dynamics, technology, and artistry has illuminated the subject on view in fascinating detail.