Research Analysis of Ferdinando Scianaa

About Ferdinando Scianna 

    Ferdinando Scianna was born in Bagheria, Sicily on July 4, 1943. In the 1960s, he started taking photographs while studying literature, philosophy, and art history; however, he never graduated. Not only was Scianna a photographer, but he was a journalist as well. In 1963, he met Leonardo Sciascia and published the first of many books they would publish together. They published Feste Religiose in Sicilia, which later on was awarded the Nadar Prize. 

    Scianna moved to Milan in 1966, where he started working for the weekly magazine L'Europeo. Ferdinando Scianna entered the field of photography in the late 1980s. He discovered he had a passion for photographing his home town in Sicily. Scianna always carried the aesthetic of his home. In 2002, he completed Quelli di Bagheria, which was a book about his hometown in Sicily. 

    Overall, Ferdinando Scianna mainly made his reputation chronicling the culture of his native Sicily. Some of his most well-known pieces are from his hometown. 

Formal Analysis 

    This photo was taken in 1982 in Sicily, Italy. I chose this photo to do my formal analysis on, because I think it demonstrates exactly what Ferdinando Scianna liked to take pictures of. This is where he grew up and by looking at some of his photographs taken in Sicily, Italy, we can learn more about him and his work. 

    

    The first thing I notice about this picture is the shadows of all the people against the wall. I think it gives the picture a different kind of story, because when people see the picture, they will wonder what is happening behind the camera. It also gives the image a sense of repetition. The continuous line of people against the fence draws our eyes horizontally across the picture. 

    The next formal element I noticed in this photograph is the form. The lighting in this picture is coming down from the west. You can visually see where the light on the building gets cut off, which creates balance between the highlights and the shadows. Without the lighting in this picture, the photograph would look lifeless and dull, and the form of the shadows would not have stuck out to me. The shadows also give the photograph a good balance of value. The shadows are dark and the light from the sun gives light spots on the picture.

    In this picture, you can see both lines and shapes. There is a diagonal line that begins at the top right of the picture and moves to the bottom right, which is made from the shadow. It acts as a path for the viewer to follow, as well as creates a triangle shape. This triangle shadow tells the viewer that there is most likely another building on the other side that is casting this shadow upon this wall. 

    The final formal element I picked out was the texture along the ground and the walls. When I look at the ground, I see an uneven pavement of concrete. It looks rough, scratched up, and it appears as if there are holes in the ground. Then, as you turn your eyes upwards, you can see how the ground and the wall do not mesh well. The walls, especially on the right side, seem to be torn up. There is one big dent in the wall and many cracks running up and down the walls.