Detail van de poort van de St. Fortunatus Abdij te Charlieu 1850 - 1900

Curator: We're looking at "Detail van de poort van de St. Fortunatus Abdij te Charlieu" by Adolphe Giraudon, a photograph dating between 1850 and 1900, housed right here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Wow, that's incredibly intricate. It’s almost haunting, that stark black doorway surrounded by all that detailed carving. It feels weighty and like I am peering back in time. Curator: Precisely. Giraudon captures the Romanesque style of the abbey with a meticulous eye, highlighting the architectural details through his lens. Notice how the textures of the stone are rendered, inviting contemplation on the cultural memory embedded within this religious site. The social implications of Romanesque architecture during that era were of piety and social hierarchies and their connection with landscape. Editor: I like how you framed that, memory. The craftsmanship is remarkable, really; all those little figures and geometric patterns surrounding the portal, caught in what feels like this liminal sepia-toned state. Curator: And, how might we interpret the darkness of the doorway itself, particularly in relation to gendered architectural discourse that often codes interior spaces as feminine? How do these spaces invite, or perhaps prohibit, participation of differing intersectional identities? It encourages conversations that engage historical contexts with today's sociopolitical discourse. Editor: See, that's where you lose me a little! It just seems to want to draw you in! What’s behind that door, you know? What secrets are locked away? It’s mysterious, almost gothic in that respect, even though we know it is from the Romanesque. It just evokes those sort of moods in me. I think about ancient rituals. Curator: Such contrasting readings only show how multifaceted Giraudon's photograph remains, even to this day. We can analyse it as both document and, dare I say, political evidence through close readings situated intersectionally. Editor: Absolutely. The magic is how that door into stone is now also a door into a really evocative conversation with each other, too!