Ruïne van de Casa di Domiziano c. 1880 - 1895

Editor: This photograph, "Ruïne van de Casa di Domiziano," taken between 1880 and 1895 by Fratelli Alinari, presents a ruined Roman building using the gelatin-silver print process. I find it melancholy and evocative. What do you see in this piece? Curator: What strikes me is how ruins operate as potent symbols of vanished empires and lost grandeur, particularly resonating during a time when Europe was grappling with its own imperial ambitions. The columns, even fragmented, evoke ideas of permanence and power, which makes their ruined state all the more poignant. This interplay becomes part of cultural memory: how do we want to be remembered? How *will* we be remembered? Editor: I never thought of it that way. I was mainly thinking about the romantic aesthetic. What about that lone figure on the right side? Does that add to this sense of a vanished era? Curator: Absolutely! The figure offers a sense of scale and aliveness against the monumental, yet decaying, architecture. Note the “Orientalist” tag associated with the photo as well: it speaks to a then-popular aesthetic interest in classical civilizations viewed through a distinctly European lens. What do *you* think that might imply? Editor: I guess I had considered Orientalism as non-Western art or Asian cultures generally. But, looking at it now, maybe that is about viewing anything distant in time and culture as exotic and fundamentally "Other?" I learned so much; thanks! Curator: My pleasure. The visual symbols within a photograph such as this are a fascinating cultural touchstone, especially as we continue building our own future ruins.