Gezicht op de binnenplaats van het Palacio de San Telmo in Sevilla 1862 - 1876

Jean Andrieu’s photograph captures the courtyard of the Palacio de San Telmo in Seville. The symmetrical composition first draws the eye, with the building's facade and arched colonnade presenting a study in architectural geometry. The limited tonal range emphasizes the play of light and shadow, lending a classical austerity to the scene. The photograph’s structure invites a reading informed by semiotics. The arches, windows, and decorative elements act as signs, pointing to the cultural and social values embedded in the architecture. The building itself becomes a text, communicating power, order, and tradition. The photograph's duplication as a stereoscopic image adds to the semiotic complexity. Consider the way the photograph, through its formal qualities, engages with broader ideas about representation and reality. It offers not just a record, but an interpretation. This photograph invites us to consider how visual forms carry meaning and how the act of seeing is always an act of interpretation.