Napels gezien vanaf het klooster San Martino met op de achtergrond de Vesuvius c. 1860 - 1900

This photograph, "Naples Seen from the Monastery of San Martino, with Vesuvius in the Background" was captured by Roberto Rive sometime in the mid-19th century. The image offers a panoramic view of Naples, a bustling port city overshadowed by the ever-present threat of Mount Vesuvius. In the 19th century, Naples was a city of stark contrasts, a place where immense beauty existed alongside deep social inequality. Think of the emotional weight of living in a city celebrated for its vibrant culture, yet plagued by poverty, class division and the constant threat of natural disaster. Rive's photograph, taken from the privileged vantage point of a monastery, speaks to issues of perspective and power. How might this view differ from that of someone living in the crowded streets below? In its aestheticization of the city, does the photograph unintentionally distance us from the lived realities of its inhabitants? In its own way the photograph asks us to consider whose stories and perspectives are often left out of the picture.