#9 [ENG] Asphalt

A mysterious figure projects its shadow along a pavement flooded by the sun. Behind her, some spilled tar reflects the light, creating the impression of a chaotic texture. The left side of the photo is delimited by the deep shadow of a building, whose architecture reflects geometric lines on the ground. In the background we can imagine the presence of people and cars. The atmosphere of the image is difficult to decipher, suspended in time as it is. De Biasi was there, and grasped this singular juncture of lights and shadows, dragging us along the street beside him, while he reveals the charm and poetry of the city he loved most.Maria Vittoria Baravelli guides us in understanding the image.“We decided to include this photograph in the exhibition to illustrate De Biasi’s will to conceptualise. Alongside the more documentary dimension of reportage, there’s also a more artistic, creative dimension, which opens a door to complex narrative worlds. I love to say that artists are the filter through which society recounts itself. Each artist narrates the world he likes or dislikes, or the one in which he would like to live. This photograph shows how De Biasi knew how to be an artist out of time. Indeed, who could say in what historical period was it taken? There are no specific elements that can suggest a precise dating: it is a timeless image. Even the subject remains mysterious; on the back the photographer had noted only one word: "asphalt".Regardless, one of De Biasi’s constants was immersing himself into the daily life of people, flowing through the streets and on the city pavements, portraying it through slices and points of view that were often unusual and enigmatic."