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Anthony Riccio at the Bellarmine Museum of Art
Photo by New York Scugnizzo
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By Giovanni di Napoli
Last Saturday I made a worthwhile trip to Fairfield, Connecticut to see Anthony Riccio's first ever photo exhibition, From Italy to America at The Bellarmine Museum of Art at Fairfield University. Home to many wonderful artistic treasures—including the amazing 18th-century oil painting, Andromeda and Perseus by Neapolitan virtuoso Paolo de Matteis—the museum is a delightful venue for the photographer's work. The University, faculty, students and sponsors who contributed in setting up this event deserve to be commended for a job well done.
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Andromeda and Perseus (ca. 1710) by Paolo de Matteis
Photo by New York Scugnizzo
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The retrospective features twenty-six black-and-white photos, spanning over four decades of Riccio's career. Opening with his captivating portrait of Zi' Giuannina (his friend and colleague Chef Silvio Suppa's aunt) in Sant'Agata de' Goti in Campania, we begin our journey back to our ancestral homeland. During the seventies Riccio studied art history in Italy and spent his free time exploring the Mezzogiorno with his camera. The artist's early work shows many different scenes of Southern Italian life and culture, like children collecting water at a fountain in Bitonto, Puglia or a wedding procession in Sippiciano, Campania.
Rural Southern Italian society is inextricably connected to the land and Riccio masterfully catches the majesty of the landscape with his lens. One of my favorites is his shot of Monte Taburno, in Campania. With a cloud casting an ominous shadow on the mountain's peak, the artist captured a moment virtually out of local lore. According to legend a young shepherd ascended the verdant mountain unseasonably early to graze his flock of sheep. Angered by the impetuous youth the god March asked his brother April to grant him revenge, saying: "My brother April/let me borrow four short days/because I must kill/these four little sheep." (1) March then whipped up a fierce storm that stranded and killed the flock. To this day the shepherds abide by "i Quattri Aprillante" or "the first four days of April" and never venture up the hills before April. |
Monte Taburno in Campania
Photo courtesy of Anthony Riccio
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The focus of the exhibit transitions from the artist's travels through Southern Italy to his later work in Boston, Massachusetts. In Boston's North End, at the time one of the last intact Italian-American neighborhoods, he ran a drop-in center for the elderly. Working closely with seniors offered Riccio a glorious opportunity to tap into their rapidly vanishing World. He began documenting their stories through word and photo, publishing Boston’s North End: Images and Recollections of an Italian-American Neighborhood in 2006.
His J&N Market, Corner of Prince and Salem Street and Modern-day Zampognari in the North End at Christmas are a testament to the Old World charm and customs still thriving at the time. The images of the long gone neighborhood, torn down in the name of "progress" and modernization, are among his best.
Riccio's sharp eye then turned to his native New Haven, Connecticut and its once-thriving immigrant community. He followed up the success of Boston’s North End with the highly acclaimed and very informative, The Italian American Experience in New Haven (2009). Highlights include touching portraits of his grandmother, Cesarina Russo Riccio, and Mary Ginnetti in her Kitchen.
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Wedding Procession in Sippiciano, Campania
Photo courtesy of Anthony Riccio
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Some of the photos on display are a reprise from Riccio's must-read books, while others, hopefully will appear in his forthcoming collection of photos and interviews, Farms, Factories and Families: Italian-American Women of Connecticut. However, seeing them in person, as opposed to reproduced in his books, has brought new life to them, much like seeing a famous painting in a gallery for the first time; little details and nuances, which I did not notice before, became readily apparent and heightened.
Aside from their obvious aesthetic qualities and Riccio's technical skills (composition, lighting, etc.), what really makes these photographs so special to me are the emotions they conjure up. More than just pretty pictures, they tell a story. More than mere nostalgia, they serve as an ethereal link to our recent past; they reinforce our integrity and ethnic identity. In them I see our ancestors and the world they lived in. I feel their struggles and pain, their triumphs and joy.
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The Fountain Place in Bitonto, Puglia
Photo courtesy of Anthony Riccio
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I was fortunate to visit the gallery at a time when Mr. Riccio was in attendance. He was kind enough to share some stories about his work and answer any questions we viewers had. I was touched by his fond recollections and honored that he took time from his busy schedule to give me a tour of the exhibit. His passion and professionalism are exemplary and the service he provides for our community is invaluable.
From Italy to America will run until March 30, 2012. It's free and open to the public and definitely worth the trip. I highly recommend it.
To hear audio clips from the interviews Anthony Riccio conducted with many of the individuals featured in this exhibition go to www.fairfield.edu/italytoamerica on your smart phone. You can also access these files through the museum's website: www.fairfield.edu/museum.
To see a slideshow of the photos visit http://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/riccio_images/
Notes:
(1) Quoted from the From Italy to America: Photographs of Anthony Riccio fact sheet, Fairfield University, The Bellarmine Museum of Art, 2012
