La Cubula nabij Villa Napoli te Palermo, Sicilië 1857 - 1914

Giorgio Sommer captured this image of La Cubula near Villa Napoli in Palermo, Sicily with a camera in the 19th century. The composition of the image presents a symmetrical stone structure, topped with a spherical dome, set against a bright, almost bleached, sky. The texture of the stone is rough, giving a tactile sense of age and weathering. This work plays with architectural and photographic conventions. Sommer juxtaposes the solidity of the ancient structure with the ephemeral qualities of light and shadow that photography so readily captures. The archway frames a glimpse into the villa's gardens, hinting at an enclosed, perhaps secretive space beyond. The dome, a universal symbol of both shelter and aspiration, contrasts with the rough, fragmented texture of the stone, suggesting a tension between ideal form and material reality. Note how the image uses light to flatten the space, emphasizing texture over depth. This photographic choice reflects a contemporary interest in the surface and materiality of the image itself, inviting the viewer to consider the photograph not just as a window onto the world, but as an object with its own formal properties.