Interieur met trappen van de Opéra de Paris 1890 - 1898

Editor: Here we have "Interior with Staircases of the Opéra de Paris," a photograph, dating from somewhere between 1890 and 1898, found at the Rijksmuseum. The photographer's name is Edouard Hautecoer. It gives such a grand impression. The detail is impressive, almost overwhelming. I am wondering what someone with a sharper eye might find... what do you see in this photograph? Curator: Well, immediately, I’m transported. It's not just a photo; it's a memory, or perhaps a dream of one of those lavish evenings that existed then. It is as if I can hear the echoes of music and chatter floating through those opulent staircases, imagine the rustle of silk gowns... Notice the statues perched alongside the stairs; the light is capturing them. One can think that even those marble figures want to listen and engage in conversation. It brings that sense of fantasy from the architecture of the Parisian Opera into our world! What does the imagery provoke in you? Editor: I can relate! All those curves and ornate decorations… they're theatrical in themselves, more like a movie set than just a building! It does strike me, however, that we see only marble and stone. It is hard to imagine it populated with the expected elegant crowd from that time. Curator: Exactly! Hautecoer lets the place star on its own, with nobody there to steal the light from its features, right? It's not about who’s there, it’s about *being* there – being swallowed up by the sheer exuberant spirit of the building. You might start pondering on its social side: for whom this temple was erected; which segments of the French society frequented this space? The ghosts of parties gone by and that tension you were feeling begin to materialize... Editor: That gives the image more depth now! To move from set to context. The architecture certainly embodies its time, an era of confidence and display. It feels that through photography we gain a different access, more human scale, to that space. Curator: Indeed. Art creates layers within layers of meaning. That's where the fun lies!