Fotoreproductie van het schilderij 'Baalbec, temple of the sun' door Conway Shipley before 1865

This is a photographic reproduction by Lock & Whitfield of Conway Shipley’s painting of the Temple of the Sun at Baalbek. The photograph, with its vertical orientation, stands in stark contrast to the sprawling, horizontal architecture it depicts. Notice the use of light and shadow to articulate the temple’s structural elements. The stark contrasts destabilize our understanding of the temple, drawing our attention to the materiality of stone and the weight of history. The temple, although partially ruined, exudes a sense of classical grandeur. The photograph invites us to consider the interplay between documentation and interpretation, between the artist’s vision and the photographer’s lens. It prompts us to reflect on the fragmented nature of knowledge and the reconstruction of history through art.