Koor van de Sint-Geertruikerk in Leuven 1866 - 1870

Curator: Here we have Jules Hippolyte Qu\u00e9val’s “Choir of the Sint-Geertruikerk in Leuven,” captured in a gelatin silver print sometime between 1866 and 1870. It resides in the Rijksmuseum's collection. Editor: The image immediately conveys an imposing, almost suffocating density. All of that intricate woodworking packed so tightly together dominates the frame, particularly with the faded sepia tone of the print. Curator: The geometric rigor is what strikes me. Consider the lines marching across the composition. The orthogonal precision conveys stability and order. Semiotically, one might argue this is about imposing architectural will, about order and discipline. Editor: But at what cost? The very process of creation, all that painstaking labor carving those details, is completely abstracted in this finished product. Where's the human element, the marks of the hand that shaped the wood? This photo turns skilled craft into an austere monolith. I wonder about the economics of that labor as well. Curator: Precisely the duality I see. This photographic print functions on two levels: one as documentation and two, as a stand-in for experiencing architectural scale and design without necessarily occupying the physical space of the church itself. Editor: Perhaps the photograph’s intention was a kind of marketing too, aimed toward certain patrons and social classes of the time period who appreciate visual records of material goods, craftsmanship and the display of piety. Curator: Yes, exactly, it prompts one to reflect on how photography reframes ancient craft and site-specific art forms. Editor: In the end, the materiality of the photograph and of the woodwork depicted share qualities that give them a weight to carry forward, a gravity that continues to shape interpretations through a contemporary lens.