Matthias Schaller

Controfacciata
Publisher's Description
German-born photographer
Matthias Schaller discovered the
architectural phenomenon of the
controfacciata (counter-façade)—a
sort of hall or corridor built out from
the first floor of a building—while
exploring the palaces along the
edges of Venice’s canals. From 2004
to 2007, he centered his lens on the
twilit windows inside these spaces,
which imbue the musty elegance of
the busts, furniture and paintings
that fill them with an ethereal glow,
while simultaneously muting all
color. In this series, made in the
quarter between Ponte di Rialto and
Piazza San Marco, Schaller captures
the faded grandeur of earlier days,
offering tantalizing glimpses of passages
that lead to unknown rooms
and silent histories. The photographs
were made from a direct elevation
perspective, highlighting the
length of space between Schaller’s
camera and the light-flooded windows
that lead to the water’s edge.
Controfacciata presents an original
view of this city, imbued with the
haunting tension and the bittersweet
paradox that is Venice.
ISBN: 3865216749
Publisher: Steidl
Hardcover : 68 pages
Language: English
Dimensions: 8.4 x 10.7 x 0.5 inches
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Publisher: Steidl
Hardcover : 68 pages
Language: English
Dimensions: 8.4 x 10.7 x 0.5 inches