Sculptuur van Narcissus in het Museo Archeologico Nazionale te Napels 1857 - 1914

Curator: Ah, Narcissus, eternally gazing at himself... What strikes me first about this particular photo, by Giorgio Sommer between 1857 and 1914 and currently housed at the Rijksmuseum, is the tenderness with which it's been rendered, it’s dreamlike in its quality. Editor: Dreamlike is spot on. It's swathed in muted color—the paper itself has that soft, aged patina. Tell me more about the symbolism of Narcissus; beyond the obvious vanity, what undercurrents flow beneath this tale? Curator: Narcissus’ reflection is more than mere vanity, I always feel like it’s a quest for completion, for that missing half we all feel inside. A symbol of our own searching selves—looking into pools of identity. Is there also that inevitable downfall when we fixate too intently inward? Editor: Absolutely. He's a potent image of the danger of self-obsession. Look how his gaze is fixed downwards, almost ashamed—or perhaps he is utterly entranced? That subtle index finger also indicates a silent knowing. We're seeing the moment before transformation, really. Curator: Transformation! The water, too – the agent of change and mirroring both… water offering and also, cruelly, denying that connection that is craved. Maybe his reflection is not exactly *him*, but what he believes to be his idealized self—the constant pursuit of something always out of grasp. Editor: Precisely. The layers compound—the statue itself echoing the ideal, the photo capturing its echo. It is like an unending pursuit of meaning reflecting meaning. A potent metaphor for, well, images themselves! They endlessly point, and all we have to do is look closer... Curator: The timeless story frozen in an old frame – still nudging us toward greater introspection, wouldn't you say? That whisper from across the ages urging you toward knowing thyself? Editor: Absolutely. And now, in turn, hopefully inviting all our listeners to cast a fresh, critical gaze inward and consider the images they choose to reflect on the world around them.