Textures of Light

After decades of neglect, this book brings back to life the artwork of Achille Bologna, one of the most eminent figures of art photography in Italy between the two World Wars. Its compilation has been possible by the recovery of the Bologna archive, which suffered severe losses over the years. First it was decimated by the bombing of Turin during WWII and, subsequently, thousands of the remaining works were lost under unfortunate circumstances. However, the current archive still holds about seven hundred prints by the artist, a selection of which has been reproduced in this volume. The introductory essay, by Maria Antonella Pelizzari, traces Bologna's artistic journey from the early 1910s to the 1940s, when he ended his photographic production. It covers Bologna's evolution from a pictorial, intimist manner to a modernist style which placed him at the vanguard of the "new photography." The essay also includes Bologna's activities as a promoter of photographic art, the co-director of the influential magazine, Il Corriere Fotografico, a member of the editorial board of the annual Luci ed Ombre, the author of the seminal book, Come si fotografa oggi, and one of the organizers of the annual International Salons of Photographic Art, considered to be "the most intriguing, eclectic, lively, and cosmopolitan exhibitions of photography that have ever been seen in our country," (according to the Corriere Fotografico May 1958). This volume includes more than 200 photographs which cover the arc of Bologna's production over thirty years.