Ombre sul muro (Shadow on the Wall) 1948

Mario De Biasi made this photograph, Ombre sul muro, but we don’t know exactly when. It's a study in black and white, all about contrast and shadow play, like a visual haiku. Look at the texture of the wall – you can almost feel the rough grain. And then, those shadows! They're not just dark patches; they're shapes, characters in a silent drama. The ladder's shadow is so graphic, cutting across the wall like a minimalist sculpture, while the shadows of the feet are almost comical. Those feet dangling there, they tell a story. Are they taking a break from work? Daydreaming? It’s a fleeting moment, a casual glance upwards capturing the essence of everyday life. It reminds me a bit of some of the early street photography by Helen Levitt, finding poetry in the mundane. With this piece De Biasi suggests that sometimes, the most interesting art is what you stumble upon when you're not even looking.