Gezicht op de Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlijn 1773

Editor: Here we have Johann Georg Rosenberg’s “View of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin,” made in 1773. It’s a print made using etching and engraving, so the detail is really quite impressive. The whole scene feels so orderly, so controlled… What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, beyond its architectural precision, I see a reflection of power structures. The Staatsoper, as a cultural institution, wasn’t accessible to all. Consider its location, Unter den Linden, a grand boulevard intended to showcase Prussian power and enlightenment ideals. Who do you think this space really served at that time, and whose voices might have been excluded? Editor: I suppose…mostly the wealthy and aristocratic elite. So, the opera house is as much a symbol of exclusion as it is of artistic achievement? Curator: Precisely. The architectural style itself—Baroque— speaks to grandeur and authority, projecting an image of strength and stability for the Prussian state. Even the people depicted crossing the bridge; are they diverse? Who benefits from this image? Editor: Now that you mention it, they all seem to be of a certain class. So this cityscape is not just a picture, but a statement about Berlin's social hierarchy in the 18th century. Curator: Exactly. And how do we, as contemporary viewers, engage with these legacies? Do we challenge them? Reinterpret them? Acknowledge their impact on the art world today? These are questions we need to constantly ask. Editor: That’s a really interesting perspective; it completely reframes how I see this artwork. It is a beautiful piece, but now I recognize how it also reflects those historical power dynamics. Curator: Art forces us to be in conversation with the world around us. Thanks for opening my eyes further as well.