[Vesuvius from Mergellina] 1853 - 1857

Editor: Here we have Giacomo Caneva’s “[Vesuvius from Mergellina],” a daguerreotype from between 1853 and 1857. It's remarkably serene. I'm struck by how the detail of the city and the mountain contrast with the almost featureless expanse of water. What draws your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: It’s compelling to consider the materiality of this daguerreotype itself. Think about the silver-plated copper, meticulously polished to receive and hold the image. Each step in its creation, from the mining of the ore to the artisan’s labor, directly informs what we see. And that tonality – a consequence of the chemical processes interacting with light and the metal. Editor: So you’re focusing on the tangible, physical aspects. Does that influence how you view its subject? Curator: Absolutely. This wasn't just about capturing a pretty picture. Consider the immense capital investment in photographic technology at this time, and how that related to colonialism, documentation, and even exploitation of resources. Even Romanticism as a style, intersects with industrial expansion – where the sublime is marketable, and nature is ripe for extraction. The photographic materials evidence these things, the city exists alongside a fertile volcano: raw material for construction or destruction, dependent upon perspective. Editor: I see what you mean. The way he chose to use photography at that time frames our view. It gives us a certain cultural lens that may shift over time as perspective shifts. Curator: Precisely. So much more than meets the eye – a conversation on cultural, economic, and environmental change. It invites consideration. Editor: Thanks. I’m now looking at it thinking about resources, and about how that shaped artistic vision. Curator: An image containing traces of a society finding itself at an economic and historical precipice. The photograph offers insight.