Archival Giclée Pigment Print on Archival Paper
Limited Edition of 5
28 x 80 in
72 x 203 cm
US $ 11,000
This 1963 photograph, La Spiaggia #1 [The Beach], depicts a crowded beach scene rendered in an earthy, muted palette of ochre, sandy tones, and deep shadows, evoking a palpable sense of heat and nostalgia. The composition captures a sea of human activity—bodies in motion yet frozen in time. Ragazzini’s pioneering experimental darkroom techniques are evident here, transforming an everyday scene into a densely layered composition. The abstraction of the figures, at once flattened and dynamic, aligns his work with photographers like William Klein, who similarly captured the chaotic energy of urban life.
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This 1963 photograph, La Spiaggia #1 [The Beach], depicts a crowded beach scene rendered in an earthy, muted palette of ochre, sandy tones, and deep shadows, evoking a palpable sense of heat and nostalgia. The composition captures a sea of human activity—bodies in motion yet frozen in time. Ragazzini’s pioneering experimental darkroom techniques are evident here, transforming an everyday scene into a densely layered composition. The abstraction of the figures, at once flattened and dynamic, aligns his work with photographers like William Klein, who similarly captured the chaotic energy of urban life.
While Klein’s work emphasizes spontaneity and raw documentary style, Ragazzini pushes further, manipulating reality through avant-garde methods. His use of solarization — a process that partially reverses the tones in an image, creating a halo-like effect and adding a surreal quality— imbues the scene with an ethereal and dreamlike atmosphere. This darkroom innovation brings depth and complexity, elevating the beach scene beyond its documentary roots and transforming it into a striking, almost otherworldly tableau.
This photograph was commissioned to create a massive mural for the Italian pavilion of the XIII Milan Triennial exhibition, which focused on the theme of Leisure Time. The pavilion’s exhibition design, featuring several of Ragazzini’s murals, won the International Grand Prix. The design was led by renowned architect Gae Aulenti, celebrated for her transformation of the Gare d’Orsay train station into the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.