Veduta di Castel St Angelo. S. Pietro 1848 - 1852

Editor: This gelatin-silver print, "Veduta di Castel St Angelo. S. Pietro," captured between 1848 and 1852 by Eugène Constant, offers a captivating view. I am drawn to the interplay of light and shadow and how it articulates the architectural forms, especially their reflections in the river. What are your observations? Curator: Notice how Constant skillfully uses the formal elements to structure the image. The horizontal lines of the river and the bridge create a stable base, while the verticality of the Castel Sant’Angelo and St. Peter's Dome punctuate the skyline, generating visual interest. The contrast between the rounded forms and the sharp edges is quite striking. Editor: I see that! The way the bridge connects the two sides, its arches mirrored in the water, creates a kind of visual rhythm. The dome is more in the background compared to the Castel, and feels very different due to that effect of perspective and how it plays with flatness, and spatial depth within a two dimensional format. What does the use of black and white do to enhance the piece’s formal properties? Curator: Indeed. The absence of color allows us to concentrate on tonal values, texture, and composition. Look closely at how Constant manipulates light to define the volume and form of each building. Notice too, how he orchestrates tonal balance between all of these buildings; they act as almost semiotic cues within an image for one who understands space and form. The limited grayscale palette emphasizes the tactile qualities of the stone, highlighting their materiality. Editor: So, by focusing on the structure and forms of the buildings, rather than, say, the historical narrative they evoke, we get a different kind of appreciation for Constant's artistic intentions? Curator: Precisely. A formalist lens urges us to recognize how the artist crafts a visual experience primarily through the interplay of lines, shapes, and tones, independent of contextual associations. The photo has some outdoor street photography and landscape tendencies. It makes for a compelling formal statement by him through structure! Editor: It’s like deconstructing a building’s façade in a different way through its form, its textures and light. Thanks for this refreshing point of view.