Just a touch on Mario Giacomelli’s work.

The work of this Italian photographer (born August 1st 1925; death November 25th 2000 in Senigallia-Italy) – proclaimed by many as “the master of monochrome” – is “to shiver”, to say the least. His heirs have, after his death, taken control of his immense photographic collection and promoted an excellent dissemination of his art, which makes it very easy to find much of the artist’s work that can be appreciated on the web.

I wanted in this brief post (that has no intention to be long, of course, but could be very broad if the work of this great master is considered), only to bring to the surface a few photos of him made as ‘still-life motifs’, motifs suggested by human figures ( ‘silhouettes’, ‘sketches’, I would say) that Giacomelli ‘discovered’ existing in tree trunks (Motif suggested by the tree cut – 1967/68).

These are unbelievable intriguing images. But, his work is much larger than this. I recommend looking for his work because it is very worthwhile. He presented the following comment on these photos of this series:

“I went to these places to find abstract things and instead the first image made me think: here is the face the farmer must have had the farmer that I did not have the expression I wanted while I was taking his pictures, while in the wood there was not only the expression I wanted, but also the earth I had photographed and the matter, the wrinkles, the synthesis of all I wanted from the farmers.

“(In Germano Celant, Mario Giacomelli, Ed. Photology-Logos 2001).

“I discovered” Giacomelli in these true ‘photographic brain storms by the www‘ that I impose almost everyday, as I was reading a blog post by Eric Kim (4 Lessons Mario Giacomelli Has Taught Me About Photography) and went deeper and there ‘discovered’ the great photographer that was Mario Giacomelli … but, I will have to go deeper, from now on, to know him better.

Giacomelli also has a series of epic landscapes that are really super inspired and inspiring, even surreal. An example, is this below (Awareness of Nature (Landscapes) (1977-2000).

As well as the series “Poems in search of an author (90s)” that it was difficult to choose the one that touched me the most … .but, I think it is this here:

I hope you find beauty in Giacomelli’s photographs as I do…

Stay well, safe & happy…  Antonio Mozeto