First edition of Abruzzo by Michael Kenna (2017)

First impression 

Large format hardback in new condition

Comes with a slipcase and a dust jacket

Signed by Michael Kenna to title page

About

Abruzzo, located in southern Italy, is known as the ‘green region of Europe’. This is due to the system of parks and nature reserves covering more than 1/3 of its territory. It has one of the highest biodiversity indexes in Europe, as well as one of the richest areas of flora in the world. In Abruzzo, Kenna found a cultural identity that elsewhere, for the most part, has been lost to globalisation and instant communication. Kenna photographed medieval ruins, ancient villages and also a countryside rich in traditional cultivation. As curator Vincenzo de Pompeis writes in the book’s introduction, “Abruzzo’s heritage, together with its impressive natural scenery, brings to mind romantic connotations that have historically attracted many international landscape artists. Particularly in the 19th century. Michael Kenna fits perfectly into this rich historical vein of celebrated landscape artists who have worked in Abruzzo. Kenna’s work often evokes the influences of Romanticism. In his photographs of historic rural landscapes, for example, there is an air of melancholy, which accompanies memories from the past. His images of ruins stir up feelings of passing time, of the constantly evolving ties between history and nature.”