Signs of color between the grays of black and white
by Roberto Palmas (son of Giuseppe Palmas)
Questa pagina in Italiano

An exhibit of Giuseppe Palmas' photographs would not be complete without considering the social aspect. In the section Chronicle and Custom I wanted to introduce all the personalities and events which colored a nation intent on licking its wounds left by World War II. I will begin with the chronicle he recorded from the outset of his career, initially left in notebooks and later recorded on film.

The small facts of "cronaca nera", almost as if he didn't want to give up journalism, give Palmas the opportunity to show his photographic talent with a little elbowing-in to get the best shot. He was in the front lines of all the most important court cases of the post war period, trying to capture the rage of the accused as the verdict was read or, as in the case of the Countess Maria Pia Bellentani, the joy of being set free. He pays particular attention to the homeless and those who lost everything in the war. Significantly, he portrays the "census of the homeless" taken in 1951. Poor people living in barracks erected from the wreckage of war are awaken in the middle of the night by policemen, to ensure better control of the headcount. These "social" photos show that in spite of the postwar economic boom, many of Italy's problems remained unresolved.

Palmas' real baptism as a press photographer was the Polesine flood in November, 1951. In the days following the Po River flood, Palmas comes to understand the importance of the camera as an instrument of documentation. This tragedy is a tough blow for a country which still hears the echoes of the bombs of World War II. Nevertheless, Italy raises up it's head one more time. After a few years Palmas goes back to these places to document the physical and moral reconstruction.

Another important event documented by Giuseppe Palmas' camera is the return of Italian prisoners of war from Russia, nearly ten years after the end of the conflict. Men who were counted as missing in action actually managed to survive not only the war, but the long frigid winters on the Steppes. Thus in 1954 Palmas' flash portrays these mysterious figures as they step off the train, bewildered, their long beards hiding the smiles which show the end of a long nightmare.

The vocation of all that can be considered press photographer brings Palmas various prestigious assignments, mainly those in politics. With Luigi Barzini Jr., one of the most well-known journalists of the magazine "Epoca", he flies in the Shah of Iran's private jet as he returns to his homeland from exile following a coup d'état. Although there was not much light in the plane, Palmas takes all the time necessary to photograph Reza Palhevi, finally relaxed and calm. As often happens on these occasions, the photographer asks a colleague to take a shot of him with the Shah, as if to become for a moment the protagonist, like at the end of a play when the director comes out from behind the curtain and goes on the stage to enjoy the applause he's earned.

Nor did Italian politicians elude Palmas' lens, for example Senator Merlin, who left her mark on Italian history by outlawing brothels. Decades later the debate on this issue remains open and in her photograph the Senator seems to exclaim: "Oh my God, what have I done?!"

Palmas' move from Milan to Rome fosters his encounters with top Italian politicians. His lens captures a series of images of the then-President of the Republic Luigi Einaudi, Prime Minister Giuseppe Pella, Interior Minister Mario Scelba, Socialist leader Pietro Nenni and Alcide De Gasperi, head of the reigning Christian Democratic party which had just begun to dominate the government.

While his days were spent in search of front page news, Giuseppe Palmas reserved the nights for "la dolce vita" - nightclubs, revue and prose theater, and curtain-raisers. Forgetting their worries, Italians begin to throng to these hot spots to see performers like Dario Fo, dressed up as a jester, as well as Carlo Dapporto, Erminio Macario, Wanda Osiris and Oreste Lionello. Garinei and Giovannini put on their first shows, and actors such as Anna Proclemer, Paolo Stoppa, Johnny Dorelli, Lauretta Masiero and Gino Cervi perform on the stages of Italy's most famous theaters.

Fashion shows begin to articulate the "Italian style", while Carla Fracci launches her career as Italy's most famous ballerina. After the shows Palmas makes the rounds of cafe's and restaurants in search of famous people. The hunt often bears good results: among others, those captured in black and white include the shipbuilder Aristotle Onassis, the author Eugenio Montale, and the Spanish artist Salvator Dalì, taken by surprise at a party with Charlie Chaplin. He strikes up such a sincere friendship with Giovannino Guareschi that the author, creator of Don Camillo, is invited to the baptism of Palmas' first-born child, Daniela. Others captured by Palmas' lens include the humorist Achille Campanile, the artist Michele Cascella, the explorer and General Umberto Nobile (of the red curtain), and the poet Giuseppe Ungaretti.

And finally RAI, the national television broadcaster. Technology, especially that of television, is still in its infancy. The celebrated TV show host Mike Bongiorno is very young, but already conducting his first quiz show. The show "Lascia o Raddoppia" keeps all those fortunate enough to own a TV glued to the set. But nearly everyone has a friend or relative with a TV, so that the images conveyed by this new appliance can be seen by millions.

Palmas' agency just happens to be located around the corner from RAI studios, making it relatively easy to photograph Mario Riva, announcer of the famous program "Il Musichiere", and Nunzio Filogamo while he greets audiences with the famous phrase "cari amici vicini e lontani" [Dear friends far and wide]. Between Nicoletta Orsomando's announcements hosts including Corrado, Enzo Tortora, Raimondo Vianello and Sandra Mondaini alternate at the helm of various programs. Many of these personalities are still in the spotlight currently, almost as if to show that TV careers are more long lasting than those in politics.

And when, a hundred years from now, the last person photographed by Palmas will be gone, someone who looks at these pictures could imagine that in that split second, in that click of the shutter, time really stood still.

Roberto Palmas