Venice in Solitude by Christopher Thomas | My Photo Bookshelf

Photobook
Written By Trevor Sherwin

There’s something undeniably captivating about film photography, and even though I shoot digitally, I’ve always been drawn to its timeless quality. I follow the work of many photographers who shoot on film, and I find myself constantly inspired by the nostalgic mood it evokes. While I haven't yet explored film myself, I hope to one day have the time and patience to experiment with it. So, when I discovered Venice in Solitude by Christopher Thomas—a beautifully crafted book of black and white film photography capturing one of my favourite cities, it felt like a natural addition to my collection.

Synopsis

From the lonely, rain-swept piazzas to silent rows of empty gondolas, one of the world's busiest and most beautiful cities lies frozen in time in this stunningly illustrated book that captures the city without people. Whether you're a first-time tourist or seasoned traveler, it's virtually impossible to find yourself alone in Venice. The city's many architectural splendors, its winding canals, ancient piazzas and charming markets are marvelous to visit--and crowded with people in every season. In these hauntingly beautiful photographs, Crhistopher Thomas takes readers on a solitary tour of the city Lord Byron once called "the Most Serene Republic."

Venice in Solitude by Christopher Thomas

As he did with his previous volume, New York Sleeps, Thomas uses long-term exposures and a now discontinued large-format Polaroid film to capture places bereft of humans in the early hours of the day. Readers can almost feel the ghosts of Titian, Shakespeare, Vivaldi, and Henry James wandering these canals and cobblestones; and they can experience the city as it was intended to be: an ingeniously planned, aesthetically delightful oasis of beauty, light, shadows--and serenity.

My thoughts about the book

In 2010, Christopher Thomas temporarily set up home in Venice, embarking on a new photographic project, capturing 100 pictures using his large-format Linhof Technika camera, a selection of lenses, a tripod, a dark velvet cloth, and many boxes of Polaroid Type 55 film. This book features 83 of the photos Christopher made.

The book itself is beautifully produced, bound in linen with one of Christopher Thomas’s photographs—showing a row of gondolas—featured on the front cover. This image offers a fitting preview of the photographic style and atmosphere found throughout the book (more on that later). Inside, the book opens with another image leading into an introduction written by Ira Stehmann, an editor and co-editor of numerous fine-art photography books. In the introduction, Stehmann discusses Thomas’s background, his photographic approach, and the equipment used for the project. She also reflects on the work as a whole, exploring the choice of subjects and the feelings of enchantment and surrealism it evokes—sentiments I strongly share when viewing these images.

Accompanying the photographs is a collection of poems by Albert Ostermaier, a contemporary poet from Munich, Germany. I consider myself a novice when it comes to poetry, and while I found some of the pieces a little difficult to fully grasp, they add an intriguing and thoughtful layer to the book. Overall, the poems are a welcome addition, complementing the mood and tone of the photography effectively.

The images are presented almost exclusively one per spread, surrounded by generous white space, occasionally interrupted by a title or a poem. Second only to the photographs themselves is the way they are displayed—uncropped, with the rough, original film borders left intact. As someone once described it, “a perfect negative surrounded by an imperfect frame” (a line I’ll admit I borrowed from Wikipedia). I love this approach, as it lends a timeless quality to images of a timeless city.

While I admire every aspect of how this book is presented, it’s the work itself that truly matters—and it does not disappoint. These city portraits are wonderfully varied, ranging from classic views of Venice to hidden corners that would be difficult to find without a local’s knowledge. To capture the true essence of Venice in any medium, both the well-known landmarks and the lesser-seen places must be included, and I believe this body of work succeeds in doing exactly that.

If you love Venice, classical architecture, black and white imagery, and the unique character of film photography, this book delivers all of that and more. It’s a beautifully crafted tribute to one of the world’s most enchanting cities.

Book Details

Until next time.

Trevor

Trevor Sherwin
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