Italy: In the Shadow of Time [Hardcover]

Linda Butler (Author), Naomi Rosenblum (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1998

This beautifully printed collection captures the timeless spirit of Italy with haunting images of its architecture, antique objects, and evocative landscapes. Linda Butler strayed from the standard tourist path to create these subtly toned black-and-white photographs, each one a quiet meditation on Italy's past. The richly textured images are reproduced in the large-format tradition, preserving their delicate gradations in tone. This cloth-bound volume includes a text by the photographer that describes her immersion in Italy's mesmerizing history.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Any scene shot in black and white contains a certain element of mystery and, often, nostalgia. But black and white hardly begins to describe the evocative tones of Linda Butler's work, which ranges from silvery blue to pale gold to rich velvet black. Whether a far-reaching photo of a landscape or an intimate portrait of a crypt, Butler's works are of mesmerizing composition; here a curtain moves in a gentle gust, there a cross of sunlight burns through a cathedral door, and everywhere the "presence of the past vibrates in the air." This series of landscapes and still lifes comprises an ode to Italy's ancestors. Light, shadow, and antiquity become the main characters: "No people appear in Butler's photographs, but their actuality as ghost presences who once built and tended the derelict palazzos ... can be felt on every page." Over the course of several years, Butler visited many of the regions of Italy--Umbria, Sicily, the Veneto, and Liguria to name a few--to amass this breathtaking collection, which will awe and delight photography fans and Italy aficionados alike. --Jhana Bach

From Library Journal

This is one of those exceptional books that will be deeply appreciated now and admired long into the future. As in her previous books (e.g., Rural Japan: Radiance of the Ordinary, LJ 5/1/92), Butler relies on a large-format camera to capture still lifes, architectural details, statues, and fountains. Going far beyond classic landscapes and nature photography, she displays a technical precision that recalls Ansel Adams at his finest. Her strikingly original images of wine bottles, olive trees, and villas reflect a depth of understanding, a rare tenderness toward common objects, and a sense for interiors. Not a single human being appears here, yet the kitchens, boathouses, and chapels are clearly inhabited by both people and ancient spirits. There is a haunting presence in the photographs, a delicate interplay of light and shadow, enhanced by subtle toning that creates a bluish cast in the darkest corners and shimmering, peach-colored tints in the bright sunlight seeping through door cracks and streaming through windows. Butler has also contributed a wonderful personal essay. A work for the ages; highly recommended.?Raymond Bial, Parkland Coll. Lib., Champaign, IL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847857840
• ISBN-13: 978-0847857845
• Product Dimensions: 13.3 x 12.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,484,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Linda Butler captures the timeless spirit of Italy, December 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Italy: In the Shadow of Time (Hardcover)

As with her previous books - "The Shaker Legacy" and 'Rural Japan" Linda Butler captures the timeless spirit of Italy. Her photographs have the ability both to convey a feeling for the atmosphere of a place but also for the people who live and work in it. Her unerring photographic eye homes in on the essence of her subject matter. Her craft is impeccable. Her book most enjoyable.