Gayle Brennan Spencer – sending random thoughts to and from South Austin
The best part of Fotografia Europea is it spurred us to visit Reggio Emilia, a town we would have skipped if not for the festival. That would have been a mistake on our part.
Reggio Emilia is a beautiful spot to explore; one not overrun by tourists.
The multiple exhibits associated with the two-month run of Fotografia Europea encouraged us to hop a train from Bologna to nearby Reggio Emilia. Numerous photography exhibitions continue in interesting venues throughout the historic center for another month as part of this 11th annual festival.
A surprising centerpiece for the photography festival was the mounting of 150 works of an American, Walker Evans (1903-1975), at Palazzo Magnani. The website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art describes Evans as:
The progenitor of the documentary tradition in American photography, Evans had the extraordinary ability to see the present as if it already was the past….
We had not expected to encounter such an extensive visual exploration of American life while traipsing through Italy; of course, neither had we envisioned the opportunity to enjoy an Edward Hopper show in Bologna, an exhibit running through July 24.
Postcards from Barton Springs 