Gabriele Basilico

[Justin F. Knotzke]

Hi,

I've recently been purchasing many books by Gabrielle Basilico. While I'm not really interested in architecture, I find myself drawn to his work. There's something about which buildings he chooses, the lack of people in his frames and especially how he chooses to frame the images. They often include "dead" spaces.

I'd like to learn more about his style and the meaning behind the images. I'd be curious to hear what other 'fans' of Basilico think of Basilico. What is it about his images that appeal to you? How is he different from other comtemporary photographers? How has he changed the way you shoot?

I'd also be curious to know if there are any articles, books, publications that talk about his style and his way of shooting.

Thanks

Justin

[Walter Foscari]

I’m a big fan of Basilico. If you don’t’ have them already try to find some of his books from the 90s (“Art&” is the publisher if I remember correctly). Those were printed on a larger format with a nice layout. His later books instead (starting with Interrupted city, I think) are smaller, printed with no margin, and with cropped images to fit the format. This, despite the quality of the photographs themselves which hasn’t diminished a bit, Interrupted city in fact has some of my favorite images. I have most of the older books except Porti di Mare which I haven’t been able to track down yet. And what are your favorites?

IMHO he seems to be more popular with photographers and architects than with the general public or the critics (at least in North America). Maybe because his style is at the same time severe and detached but not at all devoid of emotion and hard to pin down conceptually. He’s often compare to the Dusseldorf school but he seems to be less theoretical than those guys and rather more instinctive in his approach. And that maybe that’s his strength?

Online you can find some comments (in Italian and no images) at:

http://www.fotologie.it/Basilico.html

Walter

[chris jordan]

I had the good fortune to have dinner with Gabriele Basilico when I was in Milan a couple of weeks ago. He's a charming guy, and totally humble about his work. The first thing I said to him was that I loved his work, and he said "okay, you can sit at the other end of the table!" The prints in his show (mostly of war-torn Cambodia) were all in the 16x20" range, dark and scary and beautiful.

[tim atherton]

Lucky bugger Chris....-

"IMHO he seems to be more popular with photographers and architects than with the general public or the critics (at least in North America). Maybe because his style is at the same time severe and detached but not at all devoid of emotion and hard to pin down conceptually. He’s often compare to the Dusseldorf school but he seems to be less theoretical than those guys and rather more instinctive in his approach. And that maybe that’s his strength? "

That's a prety good concise summing up.

Without wanting to play too much on national stereotypes, but if you took something of the Bechers rather "continental" systematic approach and handed it over to an Italian (threw in a touch of Atget) and you'd probably get somethign like Basilico's work.

I go through phases (usually when I've just got a new book) of thinking he photogorpahs far too much stuff of of one them or subject, then I come back to it a while later and see how it all builds together, the subtle details, the sense of beauty.

As for books, yes, some of the latest ones aren't the best printed (though the Cityscapes "brick" is pretty nice). The tiny Phaidon 55 is also very nicely done, with a good intro.

The older books, as mentioned, are generally really nicely printed. Some of may favourites are L'esperienza dei Luoghi/fotogrpafie di Gabrielle Basilico 1978-1993 (Galleria Gottardo) - a nicely p[ritned overview. Attraversare Bergamo (Bolis) - and yes, Porti Di Mare ( definately one of the best). - got that off ebay - his books come up every now and then.

Many of the better books were never marketed in N America

Oh, the Beiruit book is good too - and some of the mid-size Milan and Italy books

[adrian tyler]

it is nice to know that he is humble about his work, because it kind of reafirms why i like it, i mean it looks like his images must come easily and naturally to him. simple, unpretecious and there's lots and lots of it...

i have a catalogue called "venezia-marghera" various italian photographers' takes on port marghera, basilico, olivo barbieri, mimmo jodice amongst others, basilicos work don't seem to fall into any kind of "category" because there are no real gimicks.

certaily most "modern" photographers owe a debt to the bechers, and he looks like he has deepley explored italy's "urban sprawl" in a very systematic fashion ("italy-cross sections of a country"). yet he's not bound by those constraints, and is unafraid to show his heart in his work.

i saw a couple of his new pictures in colour recently in a local gallery.