The exhibition

On the occasion of the celebrations for the Jubilee, Credito Valtellinese is organizing a photo exhibition devoted to the Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican, which is universally regarded as the temple of Christianity. The basilica is observed and analyzed through the eye of a young photographer, Marco Anelli.

The exhibition collects 80 black and white pictures taken in the natural light. Anelli's photography offers a singular vision of the basilica, very different from the traditional iconography of that place. He neglected what is perceived through common people's eyes. By taking details out of the whole, he inferred the intimate essence of the space. There are also comprehensive pictures and photographs picturing the luminous space near the windows. Anelli's merit lies in the attention paid to the fragment, chosen only when it is independent from the surrounding space and its absolute value is intelligible.

Procedendo attraverso il percorso della mostra, si coglie immediatamente la singolarità della visione offerta da Anelli, diversa e distante dalla tradizionale iconografia del luogo. Il fotografo ha tralasciato quanto l'occhio comune è in grado di percepire, e dall'isolamento dei particolari ha evinto l'intima essenza dello spazio nella sua totalità. Non mancano vedute d'insieme, squarci sulle trame disegnate dalle geometrie delle quinte e sugli spettacoli luminosi in prossimità delle vetrate. Ma l'eccezionalità del suo lavoro sta nell'attenzione per il frammento, scelto solo quando si intuisce la sua capacità di autonomia e intelligibilità nei suoi valori assoluti. Anelli revealed the hidden characters that people the basilica and are often obscured by the majesty of the architecture. He let bodies sculptured out of marble and human looks appear from shadow. Maybe, that's the secret of such a deep spirituality that pervades San Pietro.

The exhibition has been sensationally mounted, disposing largest boards with pictures of dome and vaults.

The brochure, published by Silvana Editoriale, belongs to a series of special publications that illustrate the Vatican basilica and are kept in the Fabbrica di San Pietro.

Marco Anelli

Anelli was born in 1968, in Rome, where he lives. He specialized in photography and black and white printing in Paris, where he stayed for a long time. Back to Rome, he started a long-lasting collaboration with Fabbrica di San Pietro photo office, which led to the publication of I Santi fondatori nella Basilica Vaticana and L'ombra e la luce nella Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano. In 1997, the Santa Cecilia National Academy entrusted him with the photo reportage of the last two concert seasons. Since 1997, he has been collaborating with Agenzia Giornalistica Italia and Enicomunicazioni, documenting with Mimmo Jodice and Olivo Barbieri the restoration of San Pietro façade.

For further information:
Credito Valtellinese Gallery, phone 0342/522738