Fotoreproductie van fresco Psyche gesteund door zoele avondwind door Rafaël in het Farnesina te Rome c. 1870 - 1890

This is a photographic reproduction of a fresco made by Domenico Anderson, dating to around the turn of the twentieth century. It reproduces a work by Raphael in the Villa Farnesina in Rome. Before photography, reproducing frescoes was difficult work. A skilled engraver or painter would often be commissioned to document the artwork. Later, photographs allowed for a quick and relatively accurate reproduction that could be widely distributed. This image is on paper, which was industrialized at scale and inexpensive by the time Anderson made this reproduction. The photograph flattens the original fresco, changing the visual effect from a painting. Ultimately, a photograph like this allows for wider audiences to engage with Raphael's work. It brings the fine arts closer to the realm of the decorative, allowing for a new mode of appreciation and distribution. So while we might think of photography as simply a means of documentation, it in fact has a social life, changing how artworks circulate and how they are understood.