Tempel van Flora in de tuinen van de Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini te Genua c. 1867

Alfredo Noack captured this stereoscopic photograph, ‘Tempel van Flora in de tuinen van de Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini te Genua’, using the albumen print process. The composition is structured around a classical temple, set within a garden, viewed from a frontal perspective. The octagonal temple, with its arched windows, creates a play of light and shadow, drawing the eye inward. The photograph can be interpreted through the lens of structuralism. The temple, a clear signifier of classical ideals, and the surrounding flora, symbolizing nature, are arranged in a deliberate order. This arrangement reflects a cultural code where nature is curated and framed by human intellect. The stereoscopic format, designed for creating an illusion of depth, invites us to question the nature of representation itself. Ultimately, the photograph destabilizes the boundary between nature and culture, reality and representation. It presents a constructed vision of harmony, inviting continuous interpretation.