FRANCESCO MERCADANTE
// Francesco is both a painter and photographer, born in Cutro, Calabria, Italy. His love of the arts has been a constant companion in his life. He also has a way with words, and so we let him tell you about himself in words and in some of his art photographs from the series “Rome, the eternal city”.
Francesco says that the passion for photography has accompanied his life, marking the passage of time, ever since at the age of about nine years old he became “friends” with a blue bicycle, Rondinella, a gift from his father, and a Kodak Instamatic, with which he went on “solitary escapes, in nature, over the countryside to capture “glances”, imagine, dream …
Francesco has taken part in several group and solo exhibitions. His photographs have been selected by Vogue Italia, and his photographic projects have been published in Italian and international magazines. His artworks have been acquired by museums.
“My photography wants to tell the story of the things I think and see. For me, photography is an existential necessity.”
Francesco Mercadante
What draws you to the arts?
“Reggio Emilia welcomed me from 1988 on, and in the following years, perhaps my love for photography was “hidden” in painting, among the colours, which play with shadow and light. It is always nature that, still today, I go looking for, or maybe it is she who calls me, among country paths, in our plain: expanses of meadows, skies, trees, streams, old abandoned houses… for me they are harmony, landscape architecture, “furnishings of the Earth”, fragments of life and lives. They have stories to tell and are much more than places: they evoke atmospheres, in an aura that intimately “breathes”, simply like this, in small steps, with many projects and dreams “in the drawer”, Libera-Mente opens up to the present, to the future, to life: to the “possible”… seizing moments!””
What do you like best about the experimental photo art project such as the images you have shared with us?
“Rome the eternal city, a city that continues to be loved by millions of people from all over the world. Rome with its fountains, statues, basilicas, palaces and monuments, Rome is indissolubly the cradle of western culture. Rome the eternal city.“
We asked Francesco what inspired him to do this series, and this is what he told us:
“Rome is one of the cities where national and international tourism converge; it captures the attention, fascinates foreigners and is surrounded by an aura of intriguing mystery. Every street, every square and every local gathers people of all nationalities and every year there are many visitors who visit it.
Rome with the fountains, the statues, the various monuments of value, the basilicas and the palaces above its seven hills: everything is fascinating, so beautiful that it leaves your mouth open and breathless.
This city continues to be loved by millions of people from all over the world, who invade it every day, for one simple reason: Rome is indissolubly the cradle of Western culture, which has its roots in the wonderful capital of Italy. I photographed Rome in a period when I had a strong creative inspiration, the movement I gave to the image was really intentional as I already had the title in my head that I would have given to the project “Rome the Eternal City”. Monuments give the idea of the timeless time of eternity. I chose to give a monochromatic shade of blue because it is a symbol of universal spirituality. The motion blur of the images is intentionally created with a long exposure time and a slight forward movement of the camera.”
We agree with the artist´s assessment of this breathtakingly beautiful city, and we love how he has transformed it through his experimental artistic photography.
Click on the photos to see a larger image with its title. Some images may be cropped for layout.
ALL PHOTOS © FRANCESCO MERCADANTE
We strongly encourage you to take a look at Francesco´s website to also see the paintings and other photographic projects. You can also check out his Instagram page.
SPECTACULUM MAGAZINE 