Marie Jordan Nude, Seen from the Back c. 1889

Editor: Here we have George Hendrik Breitner's "Marie Jordan Nude, Seen from the Back," a gelatin-silver print from around 1889. There's something so intimate and almost melancholic about the pose and the soft focus. How do you see this work in the context of late 19th-century art? Curator: Well, Breitner was fascinated by modern urban life and a realist painter, and this photograph offers us a window into the changing role of women, particularly in relation to the male gaze and artistic representation. Nude studies were common, of course, but the casualness here feels… different. Editor: Different how? Curator: Unlike academic nudes, intended for the male gaze as ideals, this photograph depicts an individual in a very private moment. The backdrop seems almost like an afterthought; the bedclothes are rumpled. I think it prompts questions about the artist's intentions. Was he objectifying Marie Jordan, or exploring a new type of artistic freedom? It’s interesting to think how the availability of photography influenced how painting started to change. Editor: That’s interesting. I hadn't considered it in terms of how it disrupted traditional portraiture and pushed artists toward new visual styles. Curator: Precisely. It made artists consider the nature of realism, representation and the male gaze, encouraging the growth of other styles, as artists looked for a different mode of engagement between art and spectator. Do you feel that this particular work empowers the model at all? Or do you think that this photograph reinforces traditional power structures? Editor: Honestly, I am not sure. On one hand, it feels intimate and a moment to which the viewer might not otherwise be given access; but then you wonder, how much autonomy did the model have over this artistic interpretation and the circulation of her image? Thanks, that gives me a lot to think about! Curator: Exactly! These are essential considerations when discussing this piece, so that's great!