Met Museum: Faith and Photography

I went last month to see the Met Museum's Jerusalem exhibit but found this small show, Faith and Photography: Auguste Salzmann in the Holy Land - which I'm sure was planned as an adjunct to it - far more interesting.

Salzmann was one of the early pioneers of photography.  Born in Alsace in 1824, he was a deeply devout individual and began his career as a painter of Biblical scenes.  The same religious impetus eventually led him to study Middle Eastern archaeology in hopes of discovering historical corroboration of Biblical texts.  When he left for the Holy Land in 1853 it was with the intention of using photography to document the sacred sites in and around Jerusalem as evidence that what had been written in the scriptures could still be seen in the structures standing about the city.  In this, he was following in the footsteps of the noted French archaeologist Louis Félicien de Saulcy who had reawakened European interest in the history of the Holy Land.  In other words, Salzmann traveled not so much as a tourist seeking to record colorful scenes but more as a religious zealot seeking visual proof of the word of God.  Photography was accordingly used more as a tool than an end in itself.

Whatever his reasons for photographing Jerusalem, the resulting salt prints from calotype negatives are definitely works of art in themselves.  There is a much greater sense here than in the larger Jerusalem exhibit of the city as a sacred space.  To a certain extent, that is because Salzmann impressed on the photographs his own sense of religious awe as in his depiction of the Valley of Josaphat where the Last Judgment will one day be held.  Another factor to be considered are the beautifully executed salt prints themselves.  If Salzmann's motivation in taking the photographs was unusual, he was still a consummate craftsman. The prints have a clarity that brings the past vividly back to life while still retaining an air of mystery.  This can be seen in a photograph of a minaret built in the year 1297 or in that of the Tomb of Absalom.  Although I was of course familiar with images of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, I had never seen photographs of such sites as the Tomb of St. James or the Tomb of Zachary.  They look abandoned here and falling into ruin.

Salzmann did not prosper.  He returned to Jerusalem years later during the renovation of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and was to have done the interior paintings.  Unfortunately, he had a falling out with the lead architect and was dismissed.  He died at only age 47, his faith hopefully still intact.

The exhibit continues through February 5, 2017.