De geliefden uit The seven ages of man - As you like it van William Shakespeare before 1877

Editor: So, here we have J. Landy's "The Lovers" from Shakespeare's "As You Like It," created before 1877. It’s a print using photography, presented like an open book. I’m immediately drawn to the theatrical pose of the figures. What stands out to you? Curator: The enduring visual language of courtship! Consider the iconography: the kneeling suitor, a posture echoing supplication and devotion across centuries of art, think of medieval romances depicted in illuminated manuscripts. How does that pose speak to us today, filtered through the lens of Victorian sensibilities and staged photography? Editor: I see what you mean. It's like a performance, even within a still image. The open book format adds another layer, like turning a page in their story. Do you think that was intentional, framing it within those “pages”? Curator: Absolutely. Books are powerful symbols, holding narratives, histories, and the weight of tradition. Placing this scene within those leaves suggests their love is both unique and part of a larger cultural narrative. Note, too, the almost dreamlike quality of the backdrop; that blurring allows for an allegorical interpretation of courtship removed from specifics. Where is the boundary of the lovers within their “book”? Editor: It's true, the background softens the image, turning the photograph into more of a symbol of love than a literal portrait. So, by utilizing Romantic ideals the artist is reflecting the collective memory we assign to Shakespeare’s love stories. Curator: Precisely. How interesting that a relatively new medium, photography, borrows so heavily from painting and theater, creating another unique intersection of old and new visual codes to symbolize and solidify these eternal notions! Editor: I hadn’t thought about how the relatively recent development of photography contributes. That tension is interesting to consider. Curator: It’s all about how images accrue meaning through layers of history and shared understanding. And even this image builds upon images and builds new pathways as it gains new observers. Editor: Definitely given me a lot to consider in terms of symbolism. Thanks so much.