Interieur van een kerk (vermoedelijk) te Rome c. 1875 - 1900

Editor: This gelatin silver print, taken by Gustave Eugène Chauffourier sometime between 1875 and 1900, captures the interior of what’s believed to be a Roman church. The level of detail is incredible, almost overwhelming. What strikes me most is how the photograph seems to highlight the labor involved in constructing such an ornate space. What do you make of it? Curator: It’s a compelling observation. Considering this photograph through a materialist lens, we have to think about the vast amounts of labour embedded within this image. Consider not only the labor to physically construct this Romanesque structure, but also to decorate its interior so ornately. We might ask, who produced those decorations and under what economic conditions? Editor: That's a great point. The photo really captures the juxtaposition between the grand, sweeping architecture and the individual, almost painstaking detail work. Were photographs of this type common? Were they trying to make these places accessible to those that couldn't experience the real place? Curator: Absolutely. Gelatin silver prints were becoming increasingly common, allowing for easier reproduction. It would be very enlightening to research how they were consumed and what kinds of distribution networks supported photography during this period, not just art for art’s sake, but mass dissemination. And who were the consumers, the middle classes, nobles or wealthy bourgoise? What role does the mass media play? The more prints distributed, the higher possibility for a cultural shift in thinking, perception and understanding art history. Editor: This makes me consider how a modern audience could easily take digital photos and videos for mass consumption and education, or travel simply with their phone for such destinations. Very accessible for all income brackets, really. It’s fascinating how the means of production and distribution impacts not only access but also the artwork’s potential impact on society. Curator: Precisely! And, thinking about Chauffourier himself, how his work contributes to evolving discussions around artistic value and commodification. We tend to place high art over commercial activity when we are speaking of artists, especially during the modernism era of ‘art for art’s sake’. Editor: I never considered photography in this light before. Now I am seeing how important the socioeconomic side of photography plays into the democratization of art. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. Hopefully it will assist you moving forward when interpreting art in a gallery.