SICILY

Ferdinando Scianna was born and raised in Sicily and has pictured the culture of the island like no other. He has devoted various books to the land of his birth. His Les Siciliens, which appeared in 1977, and from which a wide selection is to be seen during Noorderlicht, is regarded as his magnum opus. In the book, through portraits, landscapes and street scenes Scianna shows a region that is permeated by tradition and religious culture, but at the same time adapts to modern times. His manner of working is characteristic of post-war humanistic reportage photography, while the baroque light and deep shadows of his photographs remind one of the neo-realist Italian cinema of the 1940s. Scianna studied literature and philosophy at the University of Palermo and was captivated by photography in the 1960s. Working in Paris for Le Monde Diplomatique and for various Italian periodicals, he met Henri Cartier-Bresson, who introduced him to Magnum. He became a nominee for membership in 1982 and a full member in 1989. Scianna (b. 1946) presently lives in Milan and divides his time among reportage, fashion photography and self-initiated book projects.