Ritratto fotografico degli attori a Milano tra Otto e Novecento. Strategie di rappresentazione

Abstract

Throughout its history, photography has always been in balance between opposite conventions, the technical conventions and the artistic ones, and photographic portrait has been mostly conditioned by these features. On this ground, however, and on the fair balance between these features, photography has founded its development and its quality. Photographic studios were opened in Milan from 1839 and the urban and cultural environment, all scientific and artistic circles, were interested in their activities. Photographers worked in the field of portraiture for aristocracy and middle classes but also for theaters, above all Teatro alla Scala, and for the most important actors and actresses of the period. This essay focuses on some important Milanese photographic studios devoted to portraying stage actors and to theatrical perfomances and scenographies – also in the first film studios – such as Varischi & Artico, Emilio Sommariva, Gigi Bassani, Mario Castagneri, Leopoldo Metlicovitz, Luca Comerio.