The Photographic Landscape of Antonio Saggese: Perception and Reality in Ipuã

Abstract

This article proposes an analysis of a collection of works by Antonio Saggese, captured in regions of the Atlantic Forest in São Paulo. These works transcend the frivolity of mere visual documentation, evoking a perspective that is both poetic and critical on the idea of objective reality. Inspired by the reflections of theorists such as André Bazin and Susan Sontag, among others, Saggese explores the complex relationship between photography, technology, and perception of the world. His images, while drawing attention to the preservation of forests that, due to an increasingly unsustainable economic model, exist only as remnants, also question the very nature of photography, highlighting the role of light capture and technical enhancement in our conception of reality representation. Additionally, by evoking engravings by European travelers of the 18th and 19th centuries and the specific propositions of the landscape painting genre, the photographer creates a figuration that challenges our perception and opens space for a profound dialogue about the essence and interpretation of these landscapes, reaffirming photography as a form of scenographic and subjective creation.