Mt. Barre de Eoring, Dauphiny c. 1885

Curator: This black and white photograph captures Mt. Barre de Eoring in Dauphiny, through the lens of Vittorio Sella. Editor: It's monumental! The stark contrast creates such a dramatic, almost threatening presence. It feels like a confrontation. Curator: Sella, a passionate mountaineer, used photography to document the sublime power of nature. Consider the era—the late 19th century—and how photography offered a new way to access and possess landscapes shaped by colonialism. Editor: Right, this gaze. I wonder, what relationship did Sella, as a man of his time, have with these peaks? Was it reverence, conquest, or something in between? Curator: Perhaps a bit of both. There's a profound respect evident in the detail, yet, the act of framing and capturing… it's inherently possessive. Editor: I agree. It's a complicated legacy. Looking at it now, I feel both awe and a sense of unease, questioning the historical context from which this image arose. Curator: Absolutely. These perspectives—both the aesthetic appreciation and critical awareness—are necessary to fully engage with Sella's powerful work.