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Fabrizio La Torre
First Looks over Canada, 1955 - # 1 Limited Edition Black & White Photography

1956

About the Item

Artwork sold in perfect condition Coffret Collector including 6 Fine Art Prints During the 15 years during which he gave himself to photography, Fabrizio La Torre traveled to Italy, Europe, North America and Asia. From everywhere he brought back photos that tell of the human, universal and soul-filled condition, to which he was so sensitive. Here is First Look at Canada, where Fabrizio La Torre stayed in November and December 1955, on a 6-month trip to North America which also took him to Canada and California. In Montreal, he could not resist the urge to travel aboard the "Canadian", the most modern and luxurious version of the Canadian Pacific train, inaugurated a few months earlier, on April 24, 1955. And even if the official story of this company claims that as from this inauguration the train was pulled by modern diesel locomotives, the heavy steam engines are still used, to the delight of the photographer who knows how to play with their big white plumes. In stations, on platforms, steam is everywhere; while the temperature is around - 30°C, steam is welcome to thaw the axles, often blocked by ice. 1 - "The Rex Hotel", Toronto, November 1955. A cold, grey day with snow not far away, silhouettes of men in hats passing in front of his hotel. The Rex Hotel has not yet become the legendary venue for all the jazz concerts in Toronto. But for its comfortable rooms and reasonable prices, Fabrizio La Torre has chosen to stay there. 2 - "On Wellington Street", Toronto November 1955. The Gooderham (flatiron) building which is still today one of the symbols of the city, now surrounded by imposing skyscrapers, when at the time it was the building that looked down on the passer-by and the traffic with all its majesty. 3 - "Billiards", Toronto November 1955. Billiards, shoe-shine parlours, restaurants, nothing is missing to the happiness of these gentlemen whose silhouettes in long coats and little hats inevitably evoke the atmosphere of the American movies of those years. 4 - " Al riposo ", Canada, November 1955. Since April of that year, 1955, the Canadian Pacific, now simply the Canadian, has been equipped with luxury cars and diesel locomotives, and has returned the large steam engines to the subordinate role of station shunters. These steel monsters, which had so often braved snow and cold, were content to act as extras for travellers sensitive to their outdated charm. 5 - "Da una macchina fotografica gelata", Canada, November 1955. Little aware of the temperatures that await him in Canada, (it is about -30°), the Italian photographer did not equip himself well: he is too lightly dressed and his shoes are not made for so much snow. But so is his camera! Under the effect of the cold, the mechanisms are blocked and the film freezes... He will get this snapshot of a wrapped up silhouette slipping between two old wagons, a photo where the grain from the cold plays with the gradation of the steam jets. A superb result of "sfumature di grigio", delicate shades of grey that make warm Canadian cold. 6- " Ancora il vapore ", Canada November 1955. The Canadian was undoubtedly the most modern version of this intercontinental train, it still needed the good old steam jets to thaw the axles before departure.
  • Creator:
    Fabrizio La Torre (1921 - 2014, Italian)
  • Creation Year:
    1956
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 13 in (33 cm)Width: 18.9 in (48 cm)Depth: 0.12 in (3 mm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Framing:
    Framing Options Available
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Brussels, BE
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU157028205092
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