Gezicht op het Kapucijnerklooster te Amalfi, Italië 1857 - 1914

Editor: Here we have Giorgio Sommer’s "View of the Capuchin Monastery in Amalfi, Italy," taken sometime between 1857 and 1914. It's a photograph that’s been hand printed. I’m really struck by the way the buildings are integrated into the landscape; it’s almost as if they’re growing out of the cliffside. What elements of the composition stand out to you? Curator: The visual hierarchy is immediately apparent. Note how the strong diagonal of the mountain commands the composition, its steep incline expertly using contrast to define the architectural elements. It is through tone that Sommer articulates structure. Observe how gradations from light to shadow not only model the forms but establish spatial relationships. Editor: I see what you mean. The contrast really highlights the lines of the buildings, even against the roughness of the cliff. Do you think the blending of natural and man-made forms could be conveying a specific idea? Curator: The integration of architecture and landscape is facilitated through tonal consistency and spatial distribution within the image. The structures mirror the stratified arrangements present in the cliff. Can you think of any theoretical models for exploring the convergence of space and being in this photograph? Editor: Perhaps a structuralist approach might allow us to investigate how the architectural structures reflect or challenge the existing power structures within society or perhaps our human impulse to shape our world and bend nature to our own designs? Curator: Precisely! It is through this interplay, made possible by photographic strategies of dark and light and manipulation of form, that Sommer creates meaning. Editor: This way of analyzing the photograph opens up a completely different understanding for me. I'd only considered what was literally depicted, but it is amazing to understand the forms, lines and arrangement and their meaning!