Charles H. Traub - Dolce Via Nova

Early Eighties. From Milan to Marsala, Charles H. Traub composes an ironic and spontaneous portrait of an Italy that today we cannot say whether it really existed. The candid gaze of the American photographer immediately captures the idiosyncrasies of the Bel Paese: laziness, the unbearable and wonderful weight of history, the warm light of the countryside and the vivid light of the sea, the carefree and delightful life of the province. Bright blues, reds and yellows engulf the poses and gestures of strangers, transformed into affectionate archetypal caricatures, because Traub has in mind the work of another great master: Federico Fellini. In his travels in Italy, Luigi Ghirri is his guide: the two do not speak the same language, but they share a form of sincere curiosity for what surrounds them and the ability to observe reality with new eyes. So it is that in 2012 Traub recognizes in the photographs of thirty years earlier a lost magic and decides to make a series. Published for the first time in 2013, Dolce Via Nova expands the original sequence with a wide selection of unpublished works, curated by Giulia Zorzi and Francesco Ceccarelli, and transforms the book with a new design by Bunker. The work is completed by a dialogue with the poet Luigi Ballerini and an interview by Gus Powell. A classic that transcends time but not space, not to be missed by those who collect photographic books, dedicated to all those who collect nostalgic memories of the Italy of the past.