Gezicht op de haven van Napels en de rivier, Italië 1857 - 1914

Curator: Before us is "View of the Port of Naples and the River, Italy", a gelatin silver print from somewhere between 1857 and 1914 by Giorgio Sommer, currently residing at the Rijksmuseum. What catches your eye first? Editor: The aerial perspective. It lends a sense of detachment, almost clinical observation. The sepia tones are very pleasing and give a monochromatic, and somehow calming, feeling. It's architecturally quite interesting, too. Curator: Sommer's technical approach is rather remarkable considering the era. The meticulous arrangement of the city's buildings, how they flow toward the river. What stories do you think these arrangements are trying to tell us? Editor: Perhaps Sommer uses the city itself to show us an era of expansion in urban and industrial structures; and the contrast between them all. A new market is born, while Renaissance art has aged over time. Curator: True, Naples at this time was experiencing great expansion. Consider the social context: Naples, a city of vibrant trade but also profound poverty. The workers and the industrialists stand for something in art history; for someone at work behind the scenes as a silent labor of history. Editor: From a formal perspective, the balance achieved between the architectural elements and the natural harbor is compelling. The line of buildings juxtaposed against the masts of the ships is visually striking. And yet the textures create a rather strong sensation. The buildings versus the fluidity of water, for example. It is a strong formal visual structure. Curator: I agree completely! This single image carries such weight. One must appreciate the material choices, and, ultimately, the historical moment itself in the arrangement and setting of these photographs. I'm quite taken by the lasting power it has. Editor: Yes, it allows a strong structural and textural reading for sure.