Italy

Sandra Mardenfeld

...A collection of 60 photographs. Butler, who began the project in 1992, spent eight months searching for subjects by sorting through artifacts in libraries, museums and private homes. the resulting black-and-white photographs, which often look like paintings, capture a wide variety of images from all over Italy and attempt to convey the "distilled energy of artisans long dead."... By photographing little-known places or sightseer traps at early hours, she offers Itlay bare and beautiful before the activity of everyday life.

Library Journal

This is one of those exceptional books that will be deeply appreciated now and admired long into the future. As in her previous books (e.g., Rural Japan: Radiance of the Ordinary, LJ 5/1/92), Butler relies on a large-format camera to capture still lifes, architectural details, statues, and fountains. Going far beyond classic landscapes and nature photography, she displays a technical precision that recalls Ansel Adams at his finest. Her strikingly original images of wine bottles, olive trees, and villas reflect a depth of understanding, a rare tenderness toward common objects, and a sense for interiors. Not a single human being appears here, yet the kitchens, boathouses, and chapels are clearly inhabited by both people and ancient spirits. There is a haunting presence in the photographs, a delicate interplay of light and shadow, enhanced by subtle toning that creates a bluish cast in the darkest corners and shimmering, peach-colored tints in the bright sunlight seeping through door cracks and streaming through windows. Butler has also contributed a wonderful personal essay. A work for the ages; highly recommended.--Raymond Bial, Parkland Coll. Lib., Champaign, IL