Portret van de tenor Beniamino Gigli, als de hertog van Mantua in de opera Rigoletto 1937

This is a photograph by Mario Camuzzi, and it captures Beniamino Gigli in costume as the Duke of Mantua. Looking at this photo, I'm thinking about the process of representation – how do you capture a person, especially a performer known for their voice, in a still image? The shadows articulate the shape of his face, that strong brow, the set of his mouth. You can almost hear him. And then there’s the costume, all those details, each line and dot carefully rendered to create the illusion of texture and depth. I can imagine Camuzzi adjusting the lights, asking Gigli to hold a pose, trying to capture something of his presence and the drama of the opera. In the end it’s a trace of a performance, a moment frozen in time, inviting us to fill in the gaps with our own imagination.