Campanile van Pisa, Italië 1858 - 1893

Editor: Here we have Alfredo Noack’s photograph, “Campanile van Pisa, Italië,” taken sometime between 1858 and 1893. What strikes me immediately is the composition - the tower’s precarious tilt is emphasized by the sharp lines and contrasting light and shadow. What are your initial thoughts about this image? Curator: Immediately, the interplay of form grabs my attention. Notice how Noack employs a rather stark, almost documentary style? The stark lighting does more than illuminate, it accentuates the structural aspects, creating a balance between the geometric patterns of the tower and its famous distortion. Editor: It’s interesting you call it a documentary style, considering how deliberate photography can be. Do you think he's making a statement about the architecture itself, or maybe about the medium of photography? Curator: Precisely! Consider how the textures and architectural details of the tower are so crisply defined. Noack draws attention to the very nature of representation. The monochrome tones also enforce a certain timelessness. He allows us to engage in a play of surfaces and lines without the distraction of colour. It makes one ponder: Is it merely a picture of a crooked tower, or an examination of form? Editor: I see what you mean. Focusing on form gives the tower an iconic feel - almost beyond its real-world context. Thank you for illuminating how to approach this piece from a formalist perspective. Curator: My pleasure. Through an investigation of formal components, we were able to find an interpretation and appreciation.