Altitudini della visione (Altitudes of vision)

Photographies 1880-1930

Curated by Layla Betti
Coordinators Claudia Gelmi, Giovanni Pellegrini
Graphic coordination A4, Giancarlo Stefanati, Rovereto
Arrangement planning Weber+Winterle architects, Trento

The exhibition Altitudini della visione (Altitudes of vision) presents an itinerary that, through images, descends from the highest peaks of the Alps and the Dolomites to Lake Garda: it is a selection of photographs from the period 1880-1930 from the archives of the MAG and a movie by Pietro Marelli, dated 1912, Italian Beauties. Trento and surroundings, which has been restored by the Fondazione Cineteca Italiana (Italian Film Library Foundation).
The exhibition is ideally divided into four sections - arranged in part on luminous screens and partly on a stand – which correspond to four stages of the descent from the peaks to the lake: first, "a silent conversation with the sun", documents the glaciers and peaks between 3900 and 1500 metres above sea level. The images tell how the high mountains appeared to travelers in the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century.

Then, "the first built-up areas" immediately below the peaks, with the alpine lakes including Misurina and Dobbiaco appeared as modest villages in the years between 1880 and 1930. In the background, the imposing Dolomites frame small villages, such as Cortina d'Ampezzo, Pinzolo, Brunico. This section includes a selection of images from the photo campaigns by Josef Gugler of Bolzano, Bernard Johannes and by John the Baptist Unterveger; between 1881 and 1882 the latter created a sequence of views of Trentino on commission by the Alpine Club SAT.

After that, we descend to "the valley floor", where we can enjoy very different views: the Cembra valley with its terracings photographed by the Pedrotti brothers; the springs of Peio; views of Toblino, Levico and Caldaro lakes; the rocks that mark the Sarca valley. Also in this section there are photos by G.B. Unterveger, Alois Beer, Friedrich Würthle.

Finally, "a show of wealth and grace" completes the whole exhibition. Near Lake Garda the Alpine landscape meets and blends with the Mediterranean Scrub; here are peculiar rocks, vegetation and the light is different.