Sculptuur van Andromeda door John Bell, tentoongesteld op de Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations van 1851 in Londen 1851

Curator: I’m drawn to the way Andromeda’s downcast gaze seems to echo centuries of artistic representations of female suffering, doesn't it? Her captivity, so subtly suggested, evokes similar imagery across mythology and art history. Editor: My initial reaction is to the incredible stillness of the piece. Looking at this, a print after a sculpture of "Andromeda" by John Bell exhibited in 1851, makes me consider marble as material. The ability to capture stillness, near movementlessness. Think of the sheer labor required. Curator: Exactly! Marble, as a material, links us back to classical ideals. But Bell also subtly twists the classical form. Look at the subtle asymmetry in her pose, the slight droop of her shoulders. It creates a vulnerable psychology absent from the overtly triumphant nudes of antiquity. She carries a huge history within her very being. Editor: I see what you mean, but I'm also thinking about 1851. Think of the social context that year—the Great Exhibition where it was displayed, think of British industrial production that afforded marble carving in this manner! I see Victorian England attempting to emulate ancient empires. I suppose this is the continuity of ruling elites through the means of production. Curator: Oh, absolutely! The echoes of ancient stories told through modern, industrial prowess. The symbols in her pose – that downward glance – now becomes a metaphor for a woman’s place in the rigid Victorian hierarchy. It's both classically inspired and socially charged, don't you think? Editor: Precisely. The artistic process, of taking material extracted and transported, being labored over and sold... ultimately reproduces ideologies. But as for the myth of Andromeda, of female vulnerability, yes. Curator: What’s left for me is the timeless ability of symbols to morph and gain meaning in response to different eras and different sets of eyes. Editor: I completely agree, there's the story of how the statue's labor mirrors her story. What a tale!