Versailles, Fountaine du Point du Jour 1903

Editor: This photograph, "Versailles, Fountaine du Point du Jour" by Eugène Atget, was taken in 1903. It shows a sculpture of a dog standing triumphantly over a deer in what appears to be a fountain. It feels almost…staged, with the backdrop of the trees adding drama. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Well, let's think about the material reality. Atget, working in early 20th-century France, was meticulously documenting Parisian architecture and gardens. What kind of labor would have been involved in producing these images? Editor: I imagine he had to lug around some pretty heavy equipment! It probably took time to set up each shot perfectly, especially considering the light. Curator: Exactly! And the printing process itself would have been labour intensive. Furthermore, Versailles as a setting – think about the immense labour, both physical and artistic, required to build and maintain the gardens and sculptures, and what that represents in terms of class and power. This image captures a moment of constructed leisure, carefully arranged. What do you think Atget might have been trying to document about Parisian society at the time? Editor: Perhaps a glimpse into the lives of the wealthy and powerful, but also documenting the changing landscape and how the past was preserved, or perhaps not preserved? Curator: Precisely! Atget’s focus wasn't just on beauty; it was on capturing the material evidence of a social structure. It invites us to question who gets to create these spaces, who benefits, and who performs the work to keep them pristine. The very act of photographing shifts our focus from the art of the sculpture, and towards an object for the purpose of social examination and evidence. Editor: So, in examining Atget's photograph, it is vital to analyze the methods and social context, to unveil social hierarchies that surround this documentation of a constructed space of wealth and excess. That's an interesting shift in focus! Curator: Absolutely. Material conditions shape the art we see, in form as much as in subject.