Exterieur van het Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum te Braunschweig 1893

Editor: This is an undated print, "Exterieur van het Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum te Braunschweig" by J. Schombardt. It shows the museum, nestled amongst some trees on a calm day. What grabs you when you look at this work? Curator: Well, this image, shrouded in the delicate aesthetics of pictorialism, transports me to a simpler, slower world. It's as if the artist were less interested in documenting the stark reality and more invested in capturing the emotive essence of the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum. Notice how the sharp lines of the architecture soften, and how the natural world blends in with this rigid architectural structure. Makes you think that buildings can also bloom like the trees that guard it, don't you think? Editor: Absolutely, I love that the artist uses the soft focus of the print to bring this architectural structure to life. I can almost feel the pulse of the street around the building. Is there any historical context we should consider when we appreciate the image? Curator: J. Schombardt captured this gem, a slice of Brunswick’s identity, a while back. This pictorialist approach rebels against straightforward photography, creating photographs resembling paintings. Imagine being alive at this time - wouldn't you want the world to be more poetic than plainly representational? Now I'm curious, if you could alter photography’s destiny in any way, what would you add or subtract from it? Editor: Oh, wow! That’s something to think about. This print now reads as a manifesto, asking its viewer to make a conscious decision on whether they prefer the real or unreal. Curator: Precisely. I initially saw only an old building, but this dialogue makes it feel alive and significant in its dreamlike quality. Editor: I see now that the artistic license creates another realm and reminds me of the necessity of art as we define reality. Thanks for this discussion!