Gezicht op de stad Napels, de baai en de Vesuvius c. 1870 - 1900

Giorgio Sommer captured this view of Naples and Vesuvius with his camera. The volcano looms large—a powerful, ambivalent symbol. Consider the volcano's fiery nature, appearing in mythology as the forge of Vulcan, a symbol of destructive power, chaos, but also of creation and renewal. Vesuvius has always been a silent witness to the bustling life of Naples. The volcano is a brooding presence in the background, its symbolic weight shifting between threat and majestic beauty. We find this motif echoed across time. Think of Turner's paintings of erupting volcanoes: nature's sublime force. These images tap into our collective psyche—the primal fear and fascination with nature's might. Just as ancient artists depicted gods and monsters, here, Vesuvius becomes a modern symbol of nature's overwhelming power. The image holds our gaze, stirring deep-seated emotions tied to mortality and the cyclical nature of destruction and rebirth.