By Juliette Laaka
ROME, Nov. 18 - The Museo di Roma in Trastevere is featuring this month an exhibit of photographer Lisette Model’s work –“Lisette Model and her Successors- photographs from 1937-2002,” a collection that spans Model’s fascinating career as well as those of her former students.
Model was once quoted as saying, “I am a passionate lover of the snapshot, because of all the photographic images, it comes closest to the truth… the snap shooter’s pictures have an apparent disorder and imperfection which is exactly their appeal and style.” Model’s ability to candidly capture humanity represented the essence of individuals from Paris to New York for over sixty years.
Model’s understanding of personal style is what makes her images so powerful and appealing. The photos possess a raw quality that spans the artist’s life, her passion capturing the world around her. Everyday activities documented through her lens are bestowed new adoration through the romanticism of black-and-white photography.
Model’s work is lovely in a seemingly demure way until placed among the images. The prints are bold and exude an essence and charm that suggest the subjects are still living on within their frames. The work is simple, yet the perspective from which Model shoots her subjects illuminates the picture. New emotions and subjects emerge the longer you view the print; the activity ranging from joyful to poignant in a single collection. The Vienna-born Model has been praised as one of the last century’s most influential photographers, able to capture energy and character through acute ability and inspiring muses.
As a teacher and mentor, Model inspired other top photographers of the Twentieth Century. Some of them have their work on display in the exhibit including photos by Leon Levinson, Raymond Jacobs, Diane Arbus, Bruce Cratsley, Peter Hujar, Eva Rubenstein, Elaine Ellman, Gary Schneider, Rosalind Soloman, Ruth Kaplan, Larry Fink, and Bruce Weber.
Museo di Roma in Trastevere is located in Piazza S. Egidio, and is open from Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets range in price from 4 euros to 5.50 euros. This travelling event has been organized by non-profit organization, Aperture.
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