Inlands

Book excerpt: The great Italian master of black and white photography Mimmo Jodice was commissioned by the Massachusetts College of Art to capture the heart of contemporary Boston, highlighting the soul of this once maritime town, residence of New England's cultural and historical elite, and now home to a surprising array of innovative architectural design and urban renovation. Jodice's challenge was to portray Boston's past and its future as a unified whole. A powerful and innovative photographic journey consisting of 50 black and white photographs of urban Boston and the surrounding landscapes, Jodice's pieces are characterized by dramatic contrasts of light and shadow accompanied by fast moving and sometimes fleeting images which playfully bring to life the essence of the modern city. This is a personal vision of Boston: a romantic Gardner Museum, derelict and abandoned waterfronts and piers, and spacious city squares and legendary graveyards: taken together these photographs carefully recount the history and glimpse into the future of America's first city. This spectacular volume opens with an introduction by art historians Ellen Shapiro and David Nolta, who analyze Jodice's Boston work in the context of his previous work. Students of photography, modern art lovers, photography collectors, and Boston natives will revel in this special and modern view of Boston.