Gezicht op de Sint-Pietersbasiliek in Rome c. 1860 - 1880

Editor: So here we have Giorgio Sommer’s “Gezicht op de Sint-Pietersbasiliek in Rome,” a gelatin silver print taken sometime between 1860 and 1880. What strikes me immediately is the sheer scale of the basilica contrasted with the tiny figures in the piazza. It feels almost dreamlike. What do you see in this piece, beyond just a record of a place? Curator: Dreamlike is perfect! It reminds me a bit of Piranesi's etchings, those fantastical architectural spaces… Sommer has this incredible knack for capturing not just the scene, but also a feeling. Imagine being there, witnessing that… a swirling mass of humanity beneath such monumental achievement! He frames it so everyone looks almost the same - can you imagine the politics of the period at play? What’s the vibe do you think, exactly? Is it reverence, tourism, revolution in the air? Editor: I definitely get a sense of awe. It's almost overwhelming, seeing so many people gathered in one place with the Basilica looming behind them. The photograph feels grand, even epic, but maybe it is also slightly unsettling - or maybe I am projecting given modern issues. Does that make sense? Curator: Absolutely! That tension between the personal and the monumental is exactly what makes this so compelling. Consider also how revolutionary the ability to disseminate pictures was at the time. The people can now picture the church and state's stronghold at the time, the nexus of power! Editor: That’s fascinating – a piece of propaganda, if you will? This photograph is both a historical record and something much more…almost theatrical. I will never look at tourist snapshots in the same light. Curator: Exactly! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must off to dream of Piranesi's fantastical structures.