Twee mannen bij een put op de binnenplaats van het kartuizerklooster San Martino te Napels 1857 - 1914

Giorgio Sommer captured this image of two men at a well in the courtyard of the San Martino Carthusian Monastery in Naples. The precise date is unknown, but Sommer was active in Italy from the 1860s through the early 1900s. Sommer, a German photographer working in Italy, was part of a wave of Northern European artists drawn to the Italian peninsula. His work provides insight into the cultural dynamics of the time, revealing how Italian society was observed and documented through the eyes of an outsider. Sommer’s choice to photograph local monks at work is visually arresting because it captures the slow pace of monastic life against the backdrop of the rapidly modernizing world. The photograph prompts contemplation about labor, class, and spiritual devotion. The image offers us a moment to reflect on how individuals navigate their identities within these contexts, and how these historical representations shape our understanding of societal roles and values today.