Fotoreproductie van Zu Gott! van Wilhelm von Kaulbach 1870 - 1890

Curator: Before us we have a photomechanical print of Wilhelm von Kaulbach's "Zu Gott!" created sometime between 1870 and 1890. It is an albumen print now held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Oh, what a tender, dreamy thing! An angel, I suppose, floating through the night sky. She clutches a child and a bundle of flowers; the air itself seems to shimmer with moonlight. Curator: Indeed. The composition certainly draws upon the conventions of Romanticism, prioritizing sentimentality and a sense of ethereal transcendence. Note how the soft gradations of light and shadow create an otherworldly atmosphere, augmented by the faint, silhouetted cityscape beneath. Editor: There’s a fragility here, though. Is it just the age of the photograph, or is there something inherently delicate about its rendering of devotion? That slight blurring gives her such gentleness, an intention toward…care. Almost too saccharine, no? But convincing. Curator: Perhaps. The blurring may also result from the photomechanical process. Consider too the iconographic implications: the figure, the stars, and that very faint crescent moon. All traditional emblems of celestial purity. Editor: Symbols…yes. But consider the unspoken narrative: who are they fleeing? Or what haven is she leading him to? This single frame contains an entire universe of possible anxieties and hopes. Makes me wonder who gets to be carried to safety and why. Curator: Such conjectures are valid, although not empirically verifiable from the image itself. What one can assert is the work’s attempt to elevate earthly concerns through religious and allegorical framing. Editor: You analyze, I dream, perhaps? Still, what a peculiar artifact… a photograph reproducing a painting that recreates a sentimental mood! Curator: A layered approach reveals much of its appeal and art historical positioning. Editor: Agreed! I am rather smitten now that we've looked closer...Thank you.