Hebe van Antonio Canova in het Neues Museum, Berlijn 1868 - 1870

Editor: This gelatin silver print from 1868-1870 by Johann Friedrich Stiehm depicts Antonio Canova's sculpture, *Hebe*, within the Neues Museum in Berlin. There's almost a haunting quality to the composition, with the stark whiteness of the sculptures set against the darker backdrop. What strikes you about this image, particularly within its historical context? Curator: What interests me here is understanding the cultural implications of photographing neoclassical sculpture within a museum setting. Think about it: we have Stiehm documenting Canova's *Hebe* decades after its creation. What does it say about how European societies were viewing and interpreting their relationship to antiquity? The photograph functions as a document, almost like an inventory of cultural and aesthetic values. How might ideas around identity, nationalism, and the appropriation of classical ideals be in play here? Editor: I hadn't considered the political dimensions so explicitly. I was initially just thinking about the aesthetic choices and how the black and white photography impacted my interpretation. Curator: Absolutely. Consider the absence of colour. Doesn't that contribute to an idea of "classicism" being synonymous with whiteness, potentially reinforcing colonial hierarchies? Think about the social hierarchies at play in 19th-century Germany—how do these images uphold power structures through aesthetics? Also, are there are contemporary photographers or artists challenging such norms around photographic representation of antiquity? Editor: That gives me so much to consider – thank you. I guess seeing a sculpture is one thing, seeing a photo of it brings in many more factors to analyse. Curator: Precisely. It reveals the layers of historical, social, and political contexts that intersect when art is not just created but also reproduced and consumed. Editor: I’ll never look at a photo of sculpture the same way again. Thanks for making me see the bigger picture!