Monument voor Friedrich Schiller op de Maximiliansplatz, München 1863 - 1885

Editor: This is a photograph of the "Monument voor Friedrich Schiller op de Maximiliansplatz, München", created sometime between 1863 and 1885. The monument appears to be bronze and seems permanently installed on-site. What can you tell me about the creation and significance of this work? Curator: From a materialist perspective, it is key to think about the means of production here. This bronze sculpture necessitated industrial processes; the mining of the metal, its refinement, the labour of skilled sculptors and foundry workers, and the economics which supported that work. And then photography entered the game. We aren’t simply seeing the monument, but a record and dissemination of it made possible through yet another material process. How do you think this layering affects the work’s message? Editor: That's interesting... it's like the photograph democratizes access to the monument. But were these kinds of public sculptures generally accessible, in terms of conveying political or social ideas at the time? Curator: These monuments are never politically neutral, that is certain. And bronze – the selected material, a symbol of wealth and authority - suggests something specific about what values those in power are hoping to project. Considering the context, Germany was in the midst of significant political and social changes at the time. What potential tensions can you imagine existed during its making? Editor: Perhaps tensions related to nationalism and regional identity? I imagine there were also many shifts in industrial production at this time? Curator: Precisely. Examining this artwork through a materialist lens opens a discussion about consumption, labor, class structures, and political messaging of 19th century Germany, as seen and disseminated through various production methods. Editor: That reframing definitely provides a fuller understanding, seeing it as part of those intertwined processes.