Mt. Pala di Martino-Primiero Dolomites c. 1885

Editor: Here we have Vittorio Sella's black and white photograph, Mt. Pala di Martino-Primiero Dolomites. The interplay of light and shadow on the rock is so dramatic! What stands out to you about the materiality of this image and how it was made? Curator: The photograph emphasizes the physical process. Sella wasn't just recording a mountain, he was actively engaged with material reality – the cumbersome equipment, the silver nitrate, the very labor of climbing. Editor: So, it's not just about the pretty mountain? Curator: Precisely! It is about how Sella harnessed scientific and industrial progress to frame the sublime. Think about the cultural desire to possess and dominate nature that this act embodies. Editor: I never thought about the materials being part of the message itself! Curator: Exactly, the materials themselves are a part of the story.