Massimo Vitali: Landscape with Figures

"Landscape with Figures" is a photobook by Italian photographer Massimo Vitali. It compiles his iconic series that captures contemporary leisure scenes from an aerial perspective, set in beaches, swimming pools, and ski resorts around the world.

Vitali, who transitioned to working with large format cameras in the mid-1990s, established a unique style that simultaneously captures people and their environment from an elevated viewpoint. This book features works photographed between 1994 and 2003, expanding the subject matter to include diverse locations such as ski resorts and swimming pools, in addition to beaches and discotheques.

The images depict countless individuals, each meticulously detailed in their chosen activities. While seemingly ordinary everyday scenes, their density and sense of distance create a subtle feeling of being slightly out of sync with reality. People and landscapes are placed on the same plane without conflict, with individual behaviors and the overall structure loosely intertwined.

With a background in photojournalism and film, Vitali's gaze oscillates between documentation and staging, quietly reflecting the nature of "leisure" in contemporary society. His body of work, characterized by its vast amount of information and homogeneous perspective, continuously draws the viewer's gaze into the frame.

[Title] Landscape with Figures
[Publisher] Steidl
[Publication Date] 2004
[Pages] 224 pages
[Size] Approx. 392*311*29mm / 2,945g
[Format] Hardcover
[Language] English
[Title Reading] Landscape with Figures
[Author/Editor] Massimo Vitali/Author
[Printing] -
[ISBN] 3882439122
[Condition] Used 【3】Below average (Cover has scuffs, some tears, slight fading; endpaper has crease marks)
[Accessories] None
[Featured In] -
[Related Exhibitions] -

Massimo Vitali (1944-)

Born in Como, Italy, in 1944. Photographer.
Graduated from the London College of Printing (now London College of Communication) in 1964. Began working as a photojournalist in the 1970s, then pursued a career as a cinematographer for advertising and fiction films. Shifted his focus to photographic expression in the early 1990s, and began working with large format cameras in 1993.

In 1994, he began a series focusing on beaches. Combining an elevated, overhead perspective with high-definition depiction using large-format film, he gained international recognition for his works that meticulously capture the behavior of people gathered in leisure spaces. In addition to beaches, he continuously photographs places emblematic of modern leisure, such as swimming pools, ski resorts, and discotheques.

His works have been exhibited and acquired by museums worldwide, including the Guggenheim Museum, the Centre Pompidou, and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. He is currently based in Lucca, Italy.

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