The Sublime Color of Northern Italy

In the Winter and Spring of 2002, I was fortunate to be invited to spend four, two-week consulting gigs in Italy -- two weeks onsite followed by two to three weeks back home. This left me a total of four weekends to myself to photograph Northern Italy as I was based in Milan and would be busy during the week. I purposely kept my equipment to the bare minimum: consisting of a single 65mm lens and a lightweight Mamiya 7 rangefinder. For film I generally shot Kodak 220 Portra 160NC.

Thus armed I set out on my first weekend to photograph the city of Milan. My very first shot was Duomo Arcade, the image I used in the poster and postcard announcing this show. In general, I was fascinated by the feeling of "place" the architecture of Northern Italy exudes. In particular, how nature, architecture, and the local populace exist in a beautiful balance there. Everything felt "right" -- as if it has always been there and always would.

On the recommendation of an Italian co-worker, my second weekend was spent in Cinque Terre hiking along those ancient Ligurian hills from town to town. My third weekend was spent in Florence with its lovely Tuscan light and hillside vistas. My fourth and final weekend was spent in Venice with my wife and daughter who joined me during spring break.

What I noticed when I got back to the states to develop, scan, and print the negatives was that the color itself was sublime, even in bright sunlight. The resulting negatives had an unexpected magic to them. A magic I felt I had to capture. There is something about the light of Italy that is readily apparent to anyone who has painted or photographed there. In printing these images I strove to capture the subtle interplay of shadow and light in a manor similar to the renaissance painters' fascintation with chiaroscuro.

For the show at the Dolphin Gallery at the Hingham Public Library I have limited the total number of presented images to 19 out of approximately 38 final images that met my artistic vision for this body of work. Images for this show were printed from 18"x18" to 24"x60" on archival paper using Ultrachrome inks. I hope someday to show all 38 together in a larger venue. I plan to return to Italy in the near future to supplement this series so that a book may one day be published under the same title.

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Art critic Jon Lehman of the Patriot Ledger wrote a wonderful review of this show:

"Marshfield photographer J Michael Sullivan calls the colors he encountered in the cities, towns and villages of northern Italy "an unexpected magic." And Sullivan's remarkable, large-format photographs -- on view this summer at the Hingham Public Library -- capture that color in subtle and surprising ways..."

Quotes from people who saw the show:

"I am awed by your work -- to find such beautifully composed images out of the complexity of people and architecture takes a rare eye. Your manipulation of the images into prints is so finely done. Congratulations!" -- Joan Brancole

"I was born in Italy. I live in Cohasset. If there is one single item I miss, that must be the 'color' of Italy -- be that of Venice at sunset, or of Ponte Vecchio all day long. Bravo!" -- Prof A. Benedetto, Harvard Italian Renaissance Studies

"Your photos are fabulous. If I could, I'd buy most of them. My favorites: Stazione Centrale, Milano. What is a rush here, is so pleasant and looks so peaceful to be standing there; Rear View Mirrors, although quiet looking, brings me to excitement. Gondolas Study in Blue, is utterly astounding. I can put myself on one of those Gondolas and it would be my happy place as we say here! My family came from Calabria, starting back in 1893, my mother's father. I wondered about that and if you had gone further south? Thank you for allowing me the pleasure to enjoy your work everytime I walk in, at least three times a week. God Bless." -- D. Lucca

"It's hard to put into words how beautiful this work is. Everything does feel just right or in perfect balance. The color is certainly sublime" -- Cathleen Haggerty

"Your photographs are like beautiful paintings with the color and dramatic light. Bravo!" -- G. Kelly

"I've spent a good deal of time in Italy. You've captured its texture, color, and rhythm. Your artistic eye has picked up patterns formed by light and reflection that are wonderful. Thank you for sharing your portfolio. Bravo Mr. Sullivan!" -- Eileen Levi

You can order a show poster using PayPal from the form below:

18""x24" poster Shipping is via US Mail and is $6.00 extra. Masschusetts residents must pay 5% state sales tax.