Gezicht op de Fontein van Arethusa te Syracuse, Italië 1857 - 1914

Curator: Looking at this photograph by Giorgio Sommer, "Gezicht op de Fontein van Arethusa te Syracuse, Italië" which dates roughly from 1857 to 1914. He used the albumen print method, which was quite popular at the time, lending it that characteristic sepia tone. It's part of the Rijksmuseum collection. What's your initial take? Editor: Hmm, immediate impressions… There’s a sort of faded grandeur. Like a postcard from a dream, or a memory just beginning to crumble. It whispers tales, but they’re faint, overlaid with the patina of age and secrets. I want to get lost in this place. Curator: Absolutely! And I find that Sommer has masterfully captured not only the landscape but also a sense of its history, a whisper of myth. Fountains are fascinating archetypal symbol--often linked with purity, renewal, but also with illusions, watery reflections... It's hard to dismiss the mythical Arethusa here, the nymph transformed into a spring by Artemis to escape the amorous pursuit of Alpheus. Editor: That mythological link amplifies it all. Those reeds in the foreground… They become the boundary between our world and hers. Arethusa's story, of transformation and escape. Did the reeds conceal her? Are they still trying? Or perhaps even hiding some trace of her divine protector? It almost makes the architectural structure behind the fountain seem less imposing, more a stage for this perpetual drama of nature and legend. Curator: Good point. It makes you question what he wants you to focus on in the end--and for me that albumen technique does something to enhance it. The soft focus and warm tones give a sense of timelessness, almost as though we're looking at a classical painting rather than a relatively modern photograph. Editor: Right, like those faded frescoes they unearth in Pompeii—evidence of lives, joys, and myths, tragically suspended in time. But captured here not by volcanic ash, but by light and chemistry... And the little details – figures atop the wall, are they echoes of gods watching the pool? Every part adds up to an interesting emotional narrative. Curator: Indeed. It certainly adds layers of depth. Thanks, that’s given me plenty to think about. Editor: My pleasure, this photo truly opens many questions!