A modest Italian village in the province of Reggio Emilia, Luzzara would likely still exist in relative obscurity if it were not for American photographer Paul Strand. Published in 1955, it was his photo-book, Un Paese: Portrait of an Italian Village, which first brought the rural commune to the fore.
Forty years later, Luzzara and its residents played muse once again as another American photography master, Stephen Shore, turned his lens on the townspeople, streets and squares. Now, a new limited-edition tome published by Stanley/Barker revisits the 1993 series, simply named after the town, including a number of never-before-seen photographs.
‘There was no way I could approach Luzzara as though I was not familiar with Strand's work,’ explains Shore. ‘At the same time, even though I was going to Luzzara exactly forty years after Strand, I was not interested in producing a re-photographic survey.’
Although the town remained virtually unchanged over four decades, Shore’s images of Luzzara still feel distinctly nineties – see the boldly printed shirts that seem to shriek colour even in black and white. ‘A key feature of Italian life, at least to my New World eyes, is the presence of the traditional within the modern,’ says Shore. ‘My aim, then, was to produce a companion volume to Un Paese; to produce a group of pictures, which to the limit of the subjectivity of my vision, supplement Strand's work.’
One could almost weave a multi-generational tale between his and Strand’s works. Says Shore: ‘In a certain way, Strand's work does not need simple updating, because the kinds of people and farms and landscapes he photographed still exist in very much the same form today. But, they exist side by side with the modern world.’
Luzzara was first made famous by another American photography master, Paul Strand, forty years earlier. Although Shore was admittedly familiar with his work, he explains, ’I was not interested in producing a re-photographic survey’
Luzzara residents gather by the Po, the longest river in Italy
Moonflowers bloom in the remains of a dilapidated building
The buildings surrounding the town’s main square, pictured, remained virtually unchanged between Strand and Shore’s projects despite a four decade gap
‘A key feature of Italian life, at least to my New World eyes, is the presence of the traditional within the modern,’ says Shore
Although little has changed in the town, Shore’s images of Luzzara feel distinctly nineties – see the boldly printed shirts that seem to shriek colour even in black and white
Shore honed in on architectural details prevalent in the town, such as decorative wrought iron
Bicycles are an omnipresent feature of Luzzara
Light and shadow come to the fore in Shore’s photographs
Says Shore: ‘In a certain way, Strand’s work does not need simple updating, because the kinds of people and farms and landscapes he photographed still exist in very much the same form today’
‘My aim, then, was to produce a companion volume to Un Paese,’ says Shore, ’to produce a group of pictures, which to the limit of the subjectivity of my vision, supplement Strand’s work’
INFORMATION
Published by Stanley/Barker, £35, edition of 1000. For more information, visit the Stanley/Barker website
-
The story behind rebellious New York fashion label-cum-art collective, Women’s History MuseumMattie Barringer and Amanda McGowan’s multidisciplinary label has been challenging fashion’s status quo for the past decade. As they open a new exhibition at Amant, Brooklyn, the pair sit down with Wallpaper* to discuss their provocative approach
-
Mark+Fold Turns 10 with first Shoreditch pop-upBritish stationery brand Mark+Fold celebrates ten years in business with a Brick Lane pop-up featuring new products, small-batch editions and conversations with creatives
-
USM and Alexander May Studio present a monochrome meditation on the modern workspaceThese six flexible workspaces ‘encourage clarity of thought, calm, and self-definition’, says New York designer Alexander May of his partnership with the modular furniture brand
-
A forgotten history of Italian artists affected by the HIV-AIDS crisis goes on show in Tuscany‘Vivono: Art and Feelings, HIV-AIDS in Italy. 1982-1996’, at Centro per l'Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Prato delves into the conversation around the crisis
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekThe rain is falling, the nights are closing in, and it’s still a bit too early to get excited for Christmas, but this week, the Wallpaper* team brought warmth to the gloom with cosy interiors, good books, and a Hebridean dram
-
Inside Davé, Polaroids from a little-known Paris hotspot where the A-list playedChinese restaurant Davé drew in A-list celebrities for three decades. What happened behind closed doors? A new book of Polaroids looks back
-
Inside the process of creating the one-of-a-kind book edition gifted to the Booker Prize shortlisted authorsFor over 30 years each work on the Booker Prize shortlist are assigned an artisan bookbinder to produce a one-off edition for the author. We meet one of the artists behind this year’s creations
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekThis week, the Wallpaper* editors curated a diverse mix of experiences, from meeting diamond entrepreneurs and exploring perfume exhibitions to indulging in the the spectacle of a Middle Eastern Christmas
-
14 of the best new books for music buffsFrom music-making tech to NME cover stars, portable turntables and the story behind industry legends – new books about the culture and craft of recorded sound
-
Jamel Shabazz’s photographs are a love letter to Prospect ParkIn a new book, ‘Prospect Park: Photographs of a Brooklyn Oasis, 1980 to 2025’, Jamel Shabazz discovers a warmer side of human nature
-
A life’s work: Hans Ulrich Obrist on art, meaning and being drivenAs the curator, critic and artistic director of Serpentine Galleries publishes his memoir, ‘Life in Progress’, he tells us what gets him out of bed in the morning
