Images of Italy representation of cities in Italian Photobooks (1950-1980)

Resumo

The present contribute  intends  to focus on some authorial  photobooks published in Italy,   especially  those  that   have  the  core  of  their  narrative   interest   in   the representation  of  the  main  Italian  cities. The  photobook  is a  publication  quite different from the most popular touristic guides illustrated by photographs. In fact, it is always an authorial  project on a chosen topic where the photographer carries on a predominantly visual discourse. I propose an analysis of the most important photobooks  issued between  the  195o's and  the 198o's, focusing  on  a case study of Venice and Milan. The purpose of this paper is to compare the representations of these Italian cities during those decades, stressing how their different image is due not only  to the different  vision of Italian  photographers but  also to the different layouts of the photobooks,  which apart from  its content  must  be considered as a physical object as well.