By Reinhard Görner
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This large-scale architectural photograph by German artist Reinhard Görner depicts the The Long Room, an awe-inspiring vista into the Old Library at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. The vaulted ceiling arches above, while below a warm, golden light fills the room, illuminating bookshelves and cultural artifacts. The room is flanked by white marble busts of philosophers, writers, and great minds who have shaped the intellectual landscape of the Western world, adding a sense of gravitas and continuity to the space, and bringing public cultural heritage into private space in the rich, glowing tones of aged brown wood, leather and gilt.
Reinhard Görner is known for invoking an atmosphere of awe, meditation and contemplation through crisp, richly detailed scenes of grand historical and cultural narratives. This effect is enhanced through aesthetically striking compositions, which might include stunning symmetry, portals through a series of doorways, and other careful choices of perspective and scale.
Housing about 150,000 volumes, this library is not only the largest in Görlitz, but also the most significant regional library between Dresden and Wrocław. Rich in history, it stands at the crossroads of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, serving as a beacon for historical research and knowledge transfer in the region. Lit by a warm, timeless glow, the scene leads you through multiple carved archways of antique wood, along well-trodden wooden floors, a testament to the intersection of history, knowledge, and architectural elegance.
Established in 1779 by twenty representatives from Görlitz's educated bourgeoisie and enlightened nobility, this library is a symbol of the Enlightenment movement, focusing on human reason and research across all fields of study. Today, it's open to the public and widely regarded as one of the most spectacular libraries globally.
Görner's photography celebrates libraries as both shelters and places of escape. This particular photograph is part of his quest to explore the most beautiful and solemn reading rooms around the world. Görner aims to convey how architects play with shadows, light, proportions, and rhythms to create spaces that breathe beauty and silence.
Starting from his work with architect Sir Norman Foster in 2005, Görner has meticulously documented libraries' cathedral-like atmospheres across the globe. His photographs seek to convey the impact of architecture on our awareness of life, showcasing spaces that tell stories and refer to a time when aesthetics and spatial awareness were intertwined.
Embrace the tranquility and beauty encapsulated in Görner's art and allow it to transport you to the grand arches and timeless serenity of The Long Room, Trinity College Library. Perfect for art collectors, architecture enthusiasts, and advocates of intellectual history, this piece serves as a gateway to explore the spirit of great builders through Görner's distinctive lens.
60 x 75 inches
ed. of 7
$9,000
70 x 87.5 inches
ed. of 5
$11,000
signed and numbered on label, verso
Reinhard Görner, with his large format photographs orchestrates the monumentality of rooms.
An active architecture photographer since 1985, is a master of perspectives and precise spatial compositions, and he thus considers classical sculpture, in all of its possible facets, a special challenge.
"Görner’s photographs sometimes open the doors to another world and take the viewer with them on a journey through time. Here the palace is no longer a museum but both royal residence and a site steeped in history. The viewer does not have to share the halls with the masses of visitors; instead the images offer him exclusive impressions of the Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) and the Galerie des Batailles (Hall of Battles) as even the king of France was probably never granted. The halls are empty of people, yet they seem to be able to unfurl their individual characters of their own accord. These places practically breathe history, and this aspect is also part of the essence captured in the photographs. King Wilhelm of Prussia was named German Emperor Wilhelm I in the Hall of Mirrors after France was defeated in 1870–1871 in the Franco-German War. The Treaty of Versailles following World War I was also signed there in 1919. In this sense, the architectural photographs of Versailles...
Category
2010s Conceptual Digital Photography
