Kathedraal van Amalfi 1857 - 1914

This photograph, taken by Giorgio Sommer, captures the Cathedral of Amalfi with striking clarity, emphasizing its architectural mass against the backdrop of the Italian landscape. Sommer's composition plays with geometric forms, from the sharp lines of the ascending staircase to the rounded dome of the bell tower. The contrast between the rigid man-made structures and the organic forms of the cliffs behind creates a visual tension, highlighting how architecture attempts to impose order on the natural world. Look at the intricate patterns adorning the facade of the Cathedral; Sommer's sharp focus allows us to appreciate this complexity, transforming the building into a semiotic field of cultural and religious meanings. The photograph destabilizes conventional representations of landscape by foregrounding architectural intervention. It encourages us to consider how buildings act as texts, encoding cultural values and power dynamics within their very structures.