Gezicht op het eiland Nisida bij Napels c. 1865 - 1875

This is Giorgio Sommer's photograph, "View of the Island of Nisida near Naples". Sommer captured this image in the mid-19th century, employing a compositional structure that divides the scene into distinct horizontal layers. The foreground presents a rugged, elevated terrain that gives way to cultivated fields, creating an immediate sense of depth. These meticulously arranged fields contrast sharply with the wildness of the adjacent natural landscape, offering insight into the relationship between human intervention and nature’s inherent form. The island of Nisida itself acts as a central point of focus, set against the serene expanse of the sea, and a distant, hazy coastline that fades into the horizon. Sommer's photograph uses light and shadow to define form and texture, drawing our eyes to the interplay between the island's solid structure and the fluid, open sea. The use of photography as a medium here presents questions about the nature of representation and the act of seeing.