Berglandschap met dorp aan de militaire weg in Georgië c. 1890 - 1900

Curator: Today we're looking at Dimitri Ivanovitch Ermakov's "Mountain Landscape with a Village on the Military Road in Georgia," a photograph created around 1890 to 1900. It's an albumen print held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: What strikes me is the starkness of the terrain, the dominance of the road cutting through the landscape, and the vulnerability of that tiny village nestled below. The monochrome tones add to the drama. Curator: The image is fascinating as it represents a confluence of several movements. There’s a documentary realism at play. Ermakov meticulously captures the engineering marvel of the Military Road, its curves and switchbacks snaking up the mountainside. Editor: Right, but it's also caught up in Orientalism, a perspective that framed the Caucasus region as both exotic and a strategic asset for the Russian Empire. The road itself symbolizes that imperial reach, the control exerted over both landscape and people. Curator: Indeed. From a formal standpoint, note how Ermakov uses the vantage point to flatten the composition, creating a layered effect where the planes of the mountains merge into one another. The road serves as a strong diagonal line, bisecting the scene and drawing the eye into the distance. Editor: The absence of figures emphasizes the monumentality of the infrastructure and perhaps the subjugation of human presence. It becomes less about a lived space and more about imposed order and its effect. Curator: And yet, those small dwellings huddled together suggest resilience, the enduring presence of community in the face of monumental change. This interplay of vulnerability and strength, order and wildness, is precisely where the photograph resonates. Editor: Reflecting on this image, I see it as a powerful statement on empire, and how it intersects with place. What first appears as an impressive vista is undercut by the realization of what it really represents: control. Curator: Yes, ultimately Ermakov presents a seemingly neutral landscape imbued with multiple layers of socio-political meaning—a perfect study in form meeting function meeting history.