The Farnese Bull; Art Institute 1893

This stereoscopic card captures Henry Hamilton Bennett’s photograph of The Farnese Bull, displayed at the Art Institute. The monochrome image is divided into two slightly different perspectives, which when viewed through a stereoscope, creates a three-dimensional effect. The composition is dominated by the sculpture's complex arrangement of figures, a bull being restrained by nude male figures, with a seated female figure to one side. This scene is rendered in stark detail, highlighting the texture of the sculpted forms. The photograph invites us to consider the interplay between the real and the represented, a key theme in photographic discourse of the period. The stereoscopic format adds another layer of complexity, playing with our perception and challenging the notion of a singular, fixed viewpoint. This photograph doesn’t merely document; it actively participates in constructing our understanding of space, form and representation.