Mario Giacomelli

Mario Giacomelli (1925-2000) is the photographer I never had the courage to be. His work exudes extremes of passion and flamboyance. He used to scratch his negatives intentionally, wipe the dust off them with his fingers in order to transfer a bit of himself onto them and he would touch his prints up with a blue ball point pen – no two were identical. He worked with the mindset of a passionate, flamboyant artist rather than a meticulous precise photographer. He didn’t care that the medium he was using to express himself was photography, all that mattered was that he was expressing himself.

Giacomelli trained as a typographer and came to photography relatively late, but he was also a poet and, later in life a painter. His images are raw and grainy and abstract, in many ways similar to Francis Bacon’s paintings in intensity. His portraits looked like landscapes and his landscapes like portraits. His collections had titles such as I Have No Hands Caressing My Face (Io non ho mani che mi accarezzino il volto), A Tale, Towards Possible Inner Meanings (Favola, verso possibili significati interiori), My head is full, mamma (Ho la testa piena, mamma) and Happiness achieved, I walk (Felicità raggiunta, si cammina). His work exudes a passion and intensity that leaves me breathless.

I cannot recommend his work enough. His official website is well worth a visit and Phaidon’s beautiful book is definitely worth buying if you are interested.

Latest

Swarm

It was as simple as ‘get to the top of Finland and turn left’.  At least that is

Blink and you’ll miss it

Iceland. Never has the essence of a country so closely resembled the way in which I see the

Under the Stars in Madagascar

There are times when writing about memories from as far back as my eighteenth year feels wrong. How

Viewpoints

The Rooftop Collective exhibition edition VI Tempus Fugit. So they say. Here we are again, another Rooftop Collective

Memories

Putting Your Foot In It

Some things in life are constant. As babies we grow into childhood, dependant on certain things not changing.

They are no longer alive

Photography can mean so many different things to different people. One of the most poignant and common thoughts

Portuguese lakes at sunrise

I am now long overdue a film developing session followed by some printing. And I cannot wait. Apart

Cycling into Hungary

Eighteen years old, Morgan and I had decided to cycle to Eastern Europe from Milan, our home at

Randomly Selected

Bridge over the River Yamuna

India 20-03-11: We crossed a bridge. It was a railway bridge, with a small walkway to the side

Sebastião Salgado

Epic and biblical. That’s how I would describe Salgado’s work. And let’s not forget the tonal ranges. And

Equipment and Materials used – The Lens

A SOLIGOR F2.5 24MM I do own a 50mm as well as a 135mm, but to be honest

Portuguese lakes at sunrise

I am now long overdue a film developing session followed by some printing. And I cannot wait. Apart