The 90-year-old photographer who brings out the colors of the city

Geometric fantasy and saturated colors are the hallmarks of the urban landscapes photographed by Franco Fontana, who was born in the Italian city of Modena in 1933. In the mid-1960s, when black-and-white images prevailed, the Italian photographer opted for color in a radical way.

With a unique perspective, he focused on cities, shortening the field of view to capture details with striking optical effects. In his images, colors are the protagonists. Depth of field disappears, and lines play with perspective at will. The walls, the sky, the shadows, the asphalt and the sea — as if pieces of a colorful building block game — create striking mosaics that give his work its unmistakable style.

Fontana was loyal to this exaltation of color and playful line games until the end of his career in 2017. Now, on the occasion of his 90th birthday, the Atlas Gallery in London is paying tribute to him with the exhibition Franco Fontana: Urbani, a collection of his most recognized works, which will be on display until May 4. Fragments of urban architecture in full color.

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