Gezicht op Het Steen in Antwerpen, België 1884 - 1914

Curator: This gelatin silver print, titled "Gezicht op Het Steen in Antwerpen, België," offers us a glimpse into the past, sometime between 1884 and 1914. It’s attributed to Gustave Hermans and it now resides in the Rijksmuseum collection. What strikes you first? Editor: Foreboding, yet magnificent. Like a stone giant brooding over the harbor. The grey scale amplifies the massiveness of the structure. I wonder if that was part of the artist's intention to really enhance the grandeur. Curator: Perhaps. The Steen served many purposes over the centuries – a prison, a museum, even a residence. Hermans captured it at a time when Antwerp was rapidly industrializing. This photograph then is part of that modernization process of turning city landscapes into commodity through images. Editor: So the romanticism isn't necessarily inherent to the photographer’s soul, but rather… contextual? I keep getting caught by the ramp that extends to the entryway. The way the light and shadows play on its surface is surprisingly delicate compared to the fortress itself. Curator: Absolutely, you see this play of light and shadow is carefully rendered using gelatin silver print technology. Also consider how architecture became symbolic within broader nationalistic agendas of the 19th and early 20th centuries. So we need to be critical about the function and intent of its representation, not just celebrating beauty. Editor: A stark contrast! I see what you mean though, almost like preserving the idea of "Antwerp" through its imposing facade and almost shielding what may be hidden from view. Now the photographic act makes me reconsider my initial romantic impressions. It's much more calculated. Curator: Exactly. Hermans' photograph is a record of a specific moment but also an exercise in civic pride. Editor: Thinking of it that way completely shifts how I see this photograph. It is about time, history, but ultimately about what someone *wanted* you to think and feel while seeing this city’s historic location! Curator: Indeed. There are multiple layers embedded in seemingly straightforward photographs like this one, waiting to be discovered and, critically, re-evaluated. Editor: Well, now I'm seeing the past in a whole new light—or should I say, shades of grey.