Fotoreproductie van Menselijke onverzadigbaarheid door Antoine Wiertz before 1868

Curator: Here we have a photographic reproduction predating 1868, attributed to Edmond Fierlants, depicting Antoine Wiertz's painting *Human Insatiability*. It is an image produced on toned paper. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It strikes me as rather morbid, yet strangely dreamlike. The monochrome palette amplifies the unsettling stillness of the scene. The figure reclines amidst what appears to be swirling smoke, or perhaps a monstrous mass. It evokes a sense of suffocating oppression. Curator: Yes, Wiertz, and consequently this reproduction, delves into some profound social commentary. Wiertz lived through several revolutions in Belgium and the spectre of violence is strongly apparent in this painting. *Human Insatiability* grapples with themes of power, consumption, and the destructive nature of unchecked desire. Editor: That makes perfect sense. The passivity of the reclining figure contrasts sharply with the writhing forms below. There's a definite power imbalance on display, a suggestion of one group feeding off of another, both physically and perhaps metaphorically. The 'monster' is clearly made of human faces, crushed under the weight of greed. I'm also intrigued by the classical allusions - the reclining figure resembles some classical interpretations of Aphrodite in pose, but corrupted. Curator: Indeed. The layering of classical imagery with such disturbing contemporary commentary is quite potent. Fierlants reproduction speaks to the means of circulating political ideals in the mid-nineteenth century too; a photographic reproduction rendering the content accessible to new audiences. It questions who had access to critique or level judgement at a time when only select groups were listened to or heard. Editor: And who even creates value? A photograph creates value around what it contains, what is being expressed, and its inherent symbolism, both the original painting by Wiertz and its reinterpretation by Fierlants asks the viewer these hard questions. Curator: Looking at it now, that unsettling feeling remains. Its resonance clearly extends beyond its historical context, prompting reflections on our current societal obsessions. Editor: Absolutely. The work remains an indictment of the perpetual cycle of exploitation. It is unsettling.