Gezicht op Jeruzalem en de toren Phasaël 1859 - 1861

Curator: Look at this amazing gelatin silver print! It's titled "Gezicht op Jeruzalem en de toren Phasael", a view of Jerusalem and the Phasael tower captured between 1859 and 1861 by Francis Frith. It's stunning, really. Editor: My goodness, the texture! It almost feels tactile, like you could reach out and feel the ancient stones. There's such a strong sense of…loneliness radiating from it, too. That stark landscape, the isolated tower. Curator: It really encapsulates Frith’s orientalist approach, don't you think? He travelled extensively in the Middle East, documenting landscapes with this sort of romantic yet… detached gaze. Editor: Precisely! It's fascinating to consider the power dynamics inherent in that gaze. Frith, a Western photographer, capturing a landscape imbued with religious and political significance for its inhabitants. Who gets to tell this story? And how does his lens shape our understanding, maybe even skewing it? The lack of human presence reinforces a sense of emptiness and also plays into colonial narratives. Curator: I can also’t help but see the aesthetic choices, and Frith has so carefully framed the tower against that arid landscape, really emphasizing its imposing presence. What he wants you to feel looking up, almost in awe. It’s so carefully considered… even beautiful, in a stark way. Editor: Beauty is indeed present, but beauty that serves specific intentions. Consider, though, the sociopolitical implications of these images. Photographs like this helped solidify Western perceptions, stereotypes, even. That looming tower, the “empty” landscape – it all builds an image loaded with orientalist symbolism. Curator: Food for thought indeed. I’ll never be able to look at it the same way again, and will try to be extra aware. Editor: It encourages us to engage critically with visual representations and unravel the layers of meaning and power embedded within them. Keeps us accountable, one might say!