The work “Calascibetta” came about in conjunction with a very special journey to Italy. Hofer was tracing the footsteps of Ralph Waldo Emerson who had visited the country some 150 years earlier in 1833. Hofer’s carefully composed view of this small Sicilian town appeared in the publication Emerson in Italy in 1989. Her special approach to the motif and the lengthy exposure time join to create a rich and timeless portrait of a town. The elaborate dye-transfer technique allows for a greater control of color, imparting the photograph with depth and dignified tranquility.
Evelyn Hofer (1922 Marburg an der Lahn, Germany – 2009 Mexico City, Mexico)
Eveyln Hofer’s career as a free-lance photographer began in New York City towards the end of the 1940’s. By the end of the 1950’s, she was working frequently for Harper’s Bazaar and, in collaboration with well-known authors such as V.S. Pritchett and Mary McCarthy, published a wide range of city and country profiles. Her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in the United States, Mexico and Europe and today holds a key position in the annals of modern photography. Despite Hofer’s traditional training as a photographer, her work resists formal or thematic categorization, instead approaching each new motif with open and empathetic eyes.
