Fotoreproductie van een schilderij van een engel met een vlammend zwaard c. 1865 - 1900

Editor: We're looking at a gelatin-silver print from circa 1865-1900, a reproduction of a painting of an angel with a flaming sword by Laurens Lodewijk Kleijn. The ethereal quality of the print, combined with the subject matter, gives it a mysterious, almost dreamlike feel. What leaps out at you when you see it? Curator: Oh, this angel. She feels both powerful and incredibly fragile, doesn't she? I’m drawn to how the soft focus of the photographic reproduction enhances that sense of otherworldly grace. You know, it's interesting that Kleijn chose photography – or perhaps had his work reproduced – rather than, say, lithography, which was more common at the time for distributing images. It almost elevates it. I wonder, do you get the feeling that it could be referencing some specific historical event or maybe tapping into anxieties about the time it was made? Editor: That's fascinating! I hadn’t considered the choice of photography itself as significant. Perhaps it offered a kind of “truth” that other methods lacked, even if it was a reproduction? It's like the angel is materializing, just for a moment. Curator: Exactly! It's like a vision flickering into being, almost daring us to doubt its reality. Perhaps the flaming sword is a beacon, rather than a threat? I find myself wondering if she's meant to inspire courage or simply to offer solace in uncertain times. Or maybe both! Art often asks questions than answering them, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: I absolutely agree. The ambiguity is part of its beauty. It’s making me consider the role of angels in that era, the comfort they offered, or perhaps the warnings they gave. Thanks! Curator: It makes you feel grateful to know it is out there for others to find, in their own time, no? Wonderful.