The NRW Forum in Dusseldorf presents the exhibtion Neorealismo – Die neue Fotografie in Italien 1932-1960 through April 15th, 2015. Although well understood in its literary and cinematographic aspects, study of photography in neorealism is still in its infancy. And yet, the most expressive and coherent moments of this great period in Italian culture were created using its own particular photographic language.
The poetry in neorealism is the result of a concentration of deeply felt ideals and historical events. These cannot be totally explained by or considered to be a spent force in the more widely held belief that a new photographic style suddenly developed at the end of the Second World War as a reaction against the dark years of fascism and due to the newly rediscovered freedom. Even though neorealism in photography effectively reached the apex of its brilliance and its maximum popularity in the 1950s, restricting this phenomenon to the post-war era is specious. But documenting reality had already found a way of creating a new direction in photographic language during the 1930s thanks to – and notwithstanding – the fascist regime.
It was the innovative and guiding definition of Zavattini and the debate between film directors and writers in the cinema that defined the boundaries within which neorealism had an impact in its application of objectivity, aiming to be informative, to teach, and to create a social conscience.
As a means of mass communication par excellence, photography then contributed to the democratisation and rebirth of a nation destroyed by war. And the very enthusiasm to build a new Italy by using plots that were not historical but stories illustrating the essence of what we are today became the driving force behind the entire project. This book and exhibition attempt to provide an articulated and logical understanding of the period from 1932 to 1960 so that the shared experiences of mind, body, and soul may be felt through the bringing together of a variety of materials never before seen in the same context.
Enrica Viganò
EXHIBITION
Neorealismo – Die neue Fotografie in Italien 1932-1960
Through April 19th 2015
NRW Forum
Ehrenhof 2
40479 Düsseldorf
Germany
