Ely Cathedral: Octagon into Nave and North Transept c. 1891

Curator: Let's spend a moment with Frederick Evans's photographic print, "Ely Cathedral: Octagon into Nave and North Transept," created around 1891. The image now resides here at The Art Institute of Chicago. What’s your initial take? Editor: Monumental. Absolutely breathtaking, the kind of scene that stills the heart. I feel dwarfed just looking at it. The way those arches recede… It's as if the space goes on forever, both physically and perhaps spiritually. Curator: I agree! There's a striking interplay of light and shadow that emphasizes the Gothic architecture’s soaring verticality. Evans had such an incredible talent for capturing not just the realism, but also the sheer awe and reverence these spaces inspired. It aligns closely with the pictorialist movement that he aligned with, but to be so documentary at the same time feels slightly against this label! Editor: Exactly! I'm curious about the choice to focus on the geometry so relentlessly, don't you think? It feels almost like Evans is deconstructing the spiritual experience, breaking it down into its visual components: the arches as symbols of aspiration, the light as divine presence. Curator: Perhaps he’s inviting us to consider how architectural forms can shape our perceptions and understanding of the divine. Gothic architecture always aims for heaven, doesn’t it? Editor: Oh, undoubtedly. But I also see an interesting tension here. These grand structures were built to last for eons but were often populated by transient, imperfect humanity. What do you suppose that contrast means for you here? Curator: That's insightful! I see the ephemeral nature of life against the backdrop of enduring faith. The geometric precision and light capture something timeless, and yet the image itself is a fragile, aging print, much like our memories and our physical forms. The symbol reminds me of a mandala--at once earthly and transcendent, a symbol of spiritual fulfillment that’s hard-wired in our cultural psyche. What a remarkable artist he was! Editor: Absolutely remarkable. And perhaps, in freezing this single moment, he immortalized not just the cathedral, but a certain feeling—a striving for something just beyond our grasp, visible only through the artifice of geometry and light. It lingers, this feeling, long after we've moved on to the next artwork.