Ruiterstandbeeld van koning Lodewijk I van Beieren op de Odeonsplatz, München 1868 - 1890

Editor: This is Johann Friedrich Stiehm’s photograph of the equestrian statue of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, taken in the late 19th century, probably between 1868 and 1890. The way the sepia tones render this monument in the Odeonsplatz square…it feels so solid and permanent, a sort of eternal echo of power. What jumps out at you? Curator: Ah, echoes...precisely. This image speaks of echoes, not just in the receding architecture, but of ambition. The Neoclassical style drips from every cornice, every bronze ripple of muscle on the horse, doesn’t it? Tell me, what does that raised arm holding what appears to be a… baton… what does *that* whisper to you? Editor: Dominance, I guess? Authority? It feels a little...performative. Like he's conducting the whole city. Curator: Performative! Good. The *city* as orchestra, conducted by its king! See how the statue seems to pop *out* of the frame—the photograph itself almost trying to be a sculpture. Do you feel that pull, that tension between capturing reality and presenting a *version* of reality? Editor: Absolutely! It’s like the photograph is trying to be *more* than just a photograph. More real somehow, while being utterly constructed. Curator: And the light! How it glances off the bronze, almost breathing life into it. Think about Stiehm composing this; framing not just a monument, but an idea… Royalty... Legacy… it’s almost overwhelming. Does it leave you with more questions than answers? Editor: Definitely, It’s not just a statue, or a photograph *of* a statue, it’s an argument about power, presented as an aesthetic statement. That tension is so compelling. Curator: Right? And isn’t that the thrill of art? An argument you get to have, long after the artist has left the stage.