Fotoreproductie van een prent naar een schilderij van Antonius van Padua met een kind door Bartolomé Esteban Murillo before 1860

Editor: This gelatin silver print presents a reproduction of a Baroque painting: Saint Anthony of Padua with the Child, after Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. This photographic copy was created before 1860 by Gustav Schauer. The image seems to emanate from darkness into light, highlighting St Anthony's gentle expression. How do you interpret this work, and the act of reproducing it through photography? Curator: Well, firstly, isn't it fascinating how a painter's vision can be captured, transformed, and spread through different mediums like printmaking and then photography? It's almost like a game of telephone, each telling its own version of the story. Murillo's original probably oozed with the sentimental piety of its time, whereas Schauer’s photography hints at something else entirely... Editor: Something… darker? Curator: Precisely! Consider this photograph’s tonality; what shadows obscure and what glows, revealing forms, faces and light. Is the holy mystery in the subject or Schauer's artistry? Photography, especially at that time, had a stark kind of “realness” to it. This contrast might make us consider belief a bit differently – even ironically, which would have never been Murillo's aim. I suppose that this piece makes me ponder how “faith” morphs with its technology, always a fun rabbit hole to explore. Editor: That's a great point, the "realness" of the photograph changing the message entirely. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. Next time you see an old photograph of a painting, maybe you will see two artists at play and question who leads whom?