Max Angeloni - Fotografo
Max Angeloni - Fotografo professionista specializzato in wedding, ritratti, moda, reportage e stampa fine art
GENESIS OF HISTORICAL REENACTMENTS
Rebuild, adapt, interpret
From Emperor Claudius to Jesus of Nazareth.
Historical reconstructions are a fascinating world. They let you freeze in a frame an instant that happened centuries… millennia earlier. They allow you to recreate a historical or religious moment or revisit a work of art. I love this photographic genre.
A photographic genre in which the shot is surely only one aspect among the thousand you must foresee and plan.
It’s teamwork and it definitely needs chemistry. Chemistry not only from a strictly professional point of view but also imagination, creativity, and a good appetite.
Yes, a good appetite.
I’ve always been a firm supporter of the uselessness of a thousand meetings, work sessions, brainstorming and that kind of hassle. Especially when it’s about art and creativity.
The best things are imagined and invented at the table. There’s nothing more creative than good company around a laid table and a good glass of wine or an ice-cold beer (in moderation, of course).
And it was precisely during a dinner, at the end of 2012, that with friends Vincenzo Ricciarello and Massimo De Clementi, long-time historical reenactors, we got the idea for a photographic project for the Natale di Roma the following year.
DCCC ab Urbe Condita, that is, 8 centuries after the founding of Rome, when Emperor Claudius introduced, for the first time, the celebrations for that event.
After 3 months of preparation (shoot dates, planning dozens of reenactors, roles, costumes, texts, make-up) the project took shape and became the photographic work for the launch of the Fujifilm X-M1 in Italy.
Of course we celebrated with a nice dinner. And what happens at dinner if, in good company, you find yourself around a laid table with a good glass of wine or an ice-cold beer (always in moderation, mind you)?
The answer is obvious… you immediately think about the next project.
From the Natale di Roma to Christian Easter is a short step.
The preparation process was basically similar. But, while there was plenty of armor, uniforms and legionary accessories, preparing Jesus’ garments, those of the Apostles and the Holy Women, as well as the uniform of the temple officials, took a lot of time. As did all the aspects concerning the cross and the crucifixion. Historical consistency is the common thread of all the works and this time too we tried to be as plausible as possible with what has been told to us for almost 20 centuries.
In the end Via Crucis - The sorrowful way took... light.
From 2014 the dinners became less frequent, helped along by common problems of cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides and whatever else. So carrying on such ambitious projects became a bit more complicated. After all, it’s well known that without “hard and demanding work meetings” it’s difficult to carry forward any idea.
But so it is.
It took years of pseudo-diet and, above all, a proposal you couldn’t say no to, to find ourselves back around the table. Nothing less than reinterpreting Caravaggio’s “Calling of Matthew”. A work sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Culture.
From the final shot the painting to be displayed in the cathedral of St. Matthew in Salerno would then be born.
So we pretended we had solved the problems of cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides and whatever else and, paper (greasy paper napkin, to be precise) and pen, we got back to work.
This time we needed something that would allow us a further leap in quality.
Besides confirming the wonderful Make up Artist Mara Genoese for the make-up and maestro Andrea Camilletti for the original music, we needed two professional actors for the main roles.
Luckily friends always show up, and so Mario Ermito became Jesus and Umberto Salamone St. Matthew. Last, but not least, our friend Valter Ventrone also joined the group to give another fundamental hand in creating this project.
And so Mt. 9,9-13 was born.
From that experience we were left with many things. And of many things, one above all made us aware of an inescapable fact… we would never solve the problems of cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides and whatever else. So why not take advantage of it to plan another project?
ADZERO… the origins.
“What do we want to do?… pass me the bruschetta” “I was still thinking about combining sacred art and historical reenactment” “…mmh yes but… cough cough… oh God I was choking… pass me the water” “These arrosticini are good… what were we talking about?” “I was thinking something about Christmas” “Are you going skiing?” “No I can’t ski… I meant photography… about Gabriel… pass me the cheeses” “Gabriel.. where is he… is he here? It’s been ages since I’ve seen him” “…no, the Archangel Gabriel… anyway I’m tired… the bill!” “yes indeed… working too much is bad”.
But even if working too much is bad, appetite comes with eating, says an old adage.
Hair has turned white and the waistline forced us into pants a size or two bigger. But so it is. Less beer and wine and more water. "Water? It reminds me of two episodes from the Gospel". "Shall we turn water into wine?". "No No, the triglycerides... the pressure". "Ok only AQUA".
