Landscape and Figures

With his new book Massimo Vitali shows his entire oeuvre from the past decade, broadening the scope of his survey of beaches and discos to include skiing resorts and swimming pools from across the globe. His large-scale color images apply a topographical clarity and wealth of detail to the rites and rituals of modern leisure, focusing on the relation of the human figure to the landscape. Combining the minute detail of view camera photography and fascination with the world of appearances, his work shifts between the familiar realm of documentary realism and the surreal in his extraordinary views.