Portaal van de kathedraal van Chartres 1854

Charles Nègre captured the portal of Chartres Cathedral using a waxed paper negative, a process which he helped pioneer. Nègre, like many other artists of his time, embraced photography not just as a tool for documentation, but as a medium capable of artistic expression. This image invites us to consider the intersection of religion, art, and technology in 19th-century France. The cathedral, a symbol of enduring faith and architectural grandeur, is rendered through the lens of a relatively new technology. Photography democratized image-making, challenging the traditional hierarchies of art. Nègre’s choice to photograph Chartres suggests a desire to preserve and disseminate cultural heritage. He presents it as a testament to human creativity, while subtly embedding it within the narrative of technological advancement. The photograph offers a glimpse into a moment in time, where the old and the new converge. It makes us ponder the ways in which we perceive, preserve, and share our collective history.