Johann Wolfgang van Goethe c. 19th century

Editor: Here we have August Franz Semmler's portrait of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It's an engraving, and very stately. What's striking to you about it? Curator: Considering Goethe's influence, doesn't this image feel like an attempt to solidify a particular patriarchal narrative around intellectual authority? It portrays him as a distinguished, almost unapproachable figure. Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way. More like a historical record. Curator: But records are never neutral, are they? Who gets remembered, and how, are inherently political questions. Does this image open a dialogue about how we construct and perpetuate certain power structures? Editor: It definitely gives me something to think about. Thanks!