Gio Ponti, “Discorso sull’arte fotografica”(1932)

Abstract

In 1932, Gio Ponti (1891–1979) published in Domus—the architectural magazine he had founded in 1928—his “Discorso sull’arte fotografica” (Discussion on the Art of Photography), in which he stated the importance of photography as an independent art. He illustrated the essay with photographs by Guido Pellegrini (1886–1955), president of the newly created Circolo Fotografico Milanese (1930–1980), who had pursued an aesthetics of abstraction and objectivity, inspired by earlier Bauhaus and Constructivist schools. Ponti’s essay reflects an important moment of dialogue between photographic and architectural culture in Italy, when magazines like Domus and Casabella became important vehicles in showcasing international publications and portfolios and architects embraced photography as a modern vision. Ponti’s commitment to photography was also marked by the exhibition of international photography that he curated at the 1933 Milan Triennale, where nine countries—Italy among them—were represented. These statements on photography reflect also the complexity of Italian culture, where the excitement about modern photography and architecture coincided with the establishment of the Fascist regime. Ponti’s essay is proposed here for the first time in English translation by this author.