Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
These photographs, taken by a special corps of the Austro-Hungarian army, seem to provide an affirmative answer. The elegant simplicity of the frame, the classical postures and poses, the clarity of the light that freezes the almost lenticular details of nature, the solemn yet participative look on the subject's faces require a rather unique aesthetic culture, especially if one compares them to the more documentary, reportage-style photographs taken by the Italian army. The Italian photographs were meant to be a chronicle, to document places and activities, give an overall meaning to it all, yet always avoid showing any detail which, when actually captured on film, was quite accidental. On the contrary, in these photographs, it's very easy to see how concerned the authors were to accurately portray details. These photographs are a lens through which we can see a different concept of art, a way of seeing reality.