An iconic masterpiece of Latin American photography exhibited at the Atelier in Via Madama
At the Atelier of Via Madama one of the Colombian photographer's most emblematic works is on display Leo Matiz (1917-1998): La Red, photography that transcends pure representation to become visual poetry.
Taken around 1939 in the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, in Colombia, the image depicts a fisherman casting his net at the exact moment it opens in the air, drawing a perfect arch. An everyday scene turned into an icon: the net unfolds like a “sea peacock”capturing the strength, grace and dignity of human labour in a single gesture.
In La Red, Matiz combines formal rigour and aesthetic sensitivity: the contrast between the dark mesh and the light sky creates a balance of abstraction and realism, of movement and suspension, which made this shot one of the most famous in Latin American photography.
Photographer, traveller and witness of his time, Leo Matiz immortalised the social and artistic face of Latin America, portraying figures such as Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Marc Chagall e Pablo Neruda. His work is a constant exploration of man and his landscape, an invitation to find beauty in the simplicity of the everyday.
The press exhibited at Via Madama presents a intervention by Alejandra Matiz, daughter of the artist, who through a refined hot gilding technique applies a very thin metallic film to the printed surface. The process, carried out with heat and pressure, adds precious reflections and a new material dimension to the original image.
With this exhibition, the Atelier in Via Madama renews its vocation as a salon of art and culture, a space in which the value of the image becomes experience, dialogue and shared storytelling.
