Sint-Jan van Lateranen, Rome 1860 - 1889

Curator: There’s something melancholic about this albumen print. It’s vast but muted, the kind of grandeur that feels… wistful. Editor: Indeed. What we are viewing is Roberto Rive’s photograph, “Sint-Jan van Lateranen, Rome,” created sometime between 1860 and 1889. The Lateran Basilica in all its imposing Classicism, sits prominently in this city scape now housed in the Rijksmuseum collection. Curator: Those statues atop! They almost seem to float in the sky. And the building itself, it's both imposing and incredibly detailed, but then you notice this enormous empty space in front, as though the photographer were highlighting not its spiritual power, but its disconnect from the daily Roman life. Editor: The "empty space," as you put it, strikes me differently. In this historical context, Italy was undergoing profound shifts, marked by political upheaval and a rising sense of national identity. That emptiness then symbolizes the tensions between religious authority and the emerging secular state. Curator: Oh, that’s a perspective that really reframes my view. Like the statues aren't just decorative, but silently guarding this order from the chaos of change. Even the classical style then becomes almost a defense against new forms, both artistic and social. Editor: Precisely! And consider the Basilica itself, one of the oldest and most important churches. Rive isn't simply capturing architecture; he’s presenting an institution grappling with a changing world. The muted tones, which you find melancholic, add to this. It speaks of an institution cloaked in sepia tones in the throes of obsolescence in an increasingly fast paced reality. Curator: The subtleties in this albumen print create so many layers. It's like Rive sensed all of that history weighing on the place and captured it in light. It’s truly fascinating how a cityscape can be such a charged landscape. Editor: Photographs of architecture are never merely about capturing the bricks and mortar but how historical, societal and religious memory coalesce to define a particular cultural zeitgeist.