Gezicht op Napels en het Castel Sant'Elmo 1857 - 1914

Curator: What strikes me about this gelatin-silver print by Giorgio Sommer, titled "View of Naples and the Castel Sant'Elmo", dated between 1857 and 1914, is its seemingly calm demeanor. But under that calm, the history! Editor: It does feel quite still, a captured moment. But the monochromatic tonality gives it a melancholic air, despite the impressive scale of the city portrayed. It looks incredibly dense with buildings; what do you know of Sommer’s processes and material context? Curator: Sommer was a key figure in 19th-century photography in Italy. This print demonstrates the technical precision that he became known for. It also resonates with Orientalist themes that romanticize urban spaces, yet fails to provide an equal depiction of lived life. The perspective flattens social divisions within Naples, right? Editor: Right. And what's fascinating is considering gelatin-silver printing—a process reliant on light-sensitive materials, chemicals, and skilled labor. It became incredibly important and a trade, but can we know by who and how Sommer got the final material for making the photo? Who touched it? Curator: Precisely! This is a fascinating piece because the way he frames Naples says so much. The Castel Sant’Elmo looming over the city becomes more than just architecture; it symbolizes power structures, maybe. Consider Naples, with all its sociopolitical tension at the time! It all looks like an interesting juxtaposition to its calm. Editor: Absolutely, and that castle’s silhouette dominating the landscape… it’s impossible not to see it as a symbol of control. But, looking at the photographic materials themselves also reveals control: the cost of photographic equipment shaped who got to represent this version of the world and who did not. Curator: That's very true. Thinking of the composition, how class, race, and gender are represented is vital to truly digest and give value to a piece of art such as this one. This is far more than an aesthetically beautiful cityscape; it is, in effect, a symbol of historical relations. Editor: And those relations are imprinted in every step of the production process, from the extraction of silver to the selling and trade routes, embedding even more meaning. So, a landscape isn't just a vista to capture, but a set of connections. Curator: It’s a window into understanding social stratifications and dynamics. We have peeled back the serene veneer of Sommer’s image to reveal its multifaceted history, haven't we? Editor: Indeed. The calm is just a mask. Let's remember that appearances often obscure much deeper histories.