Book Review: Rome After Rome
From ROME AFTER ROME by JOEL STERNFELD published by Steidl www.steidl.de
By Claire Blaha
Many European cities have a rich history that often contribute to their beauty and overall aesthetic. Joel Sternfeld’s book “Rome After Rome” focuses on the low plain surrounding Rome and its history. Often considered an inhospitable environment, the Campagna as it is called, gained recognition when foreign painters came and captured its mysterious and lawless beauty.
Over centuries, the Campagna has undergone many transformations, from being a paradise for shepherds to a malaria-infested swamp. During the rise of the Roman Empire, it became a place for agricultural towns and majestic villas. But with its subsequent fall, it became an uninhabitable and dangerous plain -- a place for peasants and outlaws where few others dared to wander. In the 15th century, painters and scholars arrived to the Campagna, uplifting the image of the landscape, as they spoke of its breathtaking views of Rome and created idealistic interpretations of the space.
From ROME AFTER ROME by JOEL STERNFELD published by Steidl www.steidl.de
Sternfeld discusses this history of the Roman countryside, examining the reasons as to why artists came and stayed in a place that was always considered damned and lawless. In an essay at the end of his book, he states, “Curious that a marshland might come to be the principal signifier of edenic life for the Western world.” Overtime, artists made Campagna one of the most painted landscapes in Western culture, referencing the exquisite light and the views of the Vatican and the Roman cityscape that caused many visiters to faint. They also highlighted the beauty of the ancient aqueducts and sculptures that were scattered across the countryside. Many stayed as the absence of landlords allowed them to create art without financial worry, and there was no limit to their creative freedom. In 1870, however, Italy became an established nation, Rome expanded into the Campagna, and the painters left.
From ROME AFTER ROME by JOEL STERNFELD published by Steidl www.steidl.de
From ROME AFTER ROME by JOEL STERNFELD published by Steidl www.steidl.de
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Sternfeld photographed the Campagna, drawing back to the time where painters roamed freely in this wide open countryside on the outskirts of Rome. This photographic journey was Sternfeld’s own discovery of the euphoric atmosphere that was once so highly venerated. The images in his book attempt to give recognition to what the artists saw: the soft, natural light, the aging yet still commanding architecture, and the wide landscape almost seemed untouched. The aesthetic he captures is pure Roman, but it helps to shed light, literally, on a place that has been overlooked and simply passed over for centuries.
From ROME AFTER ROME by JOEL STERNFELD published by Steidl www.steidl.de
From ROME AFTER ROME by JOEL STERNFELD published by Steidl www.steidl.de
Some of the images also include the people of the Campagna: the characters that now inhabit this lost corner of the world. We get a glimpse into their lives and the modernity that has crept in. Sternfeld created panoramic shots, stretching across several frames and broken into separate pieces, establishing the understanding that we are looking at life between the cracks. The history and the nature of this Roman landscape shows an artist’s ability to look at something and see something others do not always see. Sternfeld spent time in the Campagna, he learned its ins and outs, and saw the life that breathed in a place that is often considered barren.
From ROME AFTER ROME by JOEL STERNFELD published by Steidl www.steidl.de
