Massimo Vitali - Catania,  Under the Volcano,  2007 and profile

Massimo Vitali

December 13, 2014

An Italian photographer, Massimo Vitali is best known for his monumental color photographs of beaches, pools, and social gatherings, often taken from removed vantage points. Through his practice, he adapts the historical practice of landscape painting and figural studies to the photographic lens.

Richly colored, detailed and large-scale, Vitali's work balances between interpersonal narratives and the natural world, capturing human activity amidst panoramic views of landscapes. Focusing on the voyeuristic capacities of photography, he examines the anonymous, detached nature of urban life in the interactions between his subjects.

Ever since 1994, Vitali has been traveling the world documenting how and where people gather - from picnickers in the Luxembourg Gardens and spectators at an air show in Viareggio to tourists massed on the Piazza San Marco. As he explained, his photography comes from absolute matter-of-fact situations but also from a deep curiosity that he possess for people, for what they do and how they think. Vitali's best-known work is his series Italian beach panoramas, which reflect a research into his fellow Italian citizens, as well as his interest in capturing and analyzing how people think and act.

He currently lives and works in Berlin and in Lucca, Italy.

Featured image: Massimo Vitali - Catania, Under the Volcano - 2007, profile.

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