The photograph titled “The Family, Luzzara, Italy” was captured by artist Paul Strand in the year 1953. It depicts a group of five individuals, presumably a family, positioned around the entrance of a building. The image is monochromatic, adhering to the black-and-white photographic tradition of the time.
In detail, the photograph shows four males and one elderly female positioned in and around a weathered doorway. To the left, two men stand, one behind the other; the one in front, probably a young man, wears a plaid shirt, while the one in the background wears a lighter-colored fully buttoned shirt. Seated on the steps are two other males: the one sitting upright wears a light-colored, long-sleeved shirt, and the one crouching has on a striped short-sleeved shirt, with his arms resting on his knees. All the men have a serious, perhaps contemplative, expression.
Occupying the doorway is the lone woman in the group, standing with her hands clasped together. She is dressed in traditional attire with a long, dark skirt and a lighter blouse, with her hair pulled back. Her presence provides a grounding force in the composition, lending an air of quiet strength and matriarchy to the family group.
A bicycle leans against the building to the right, perhaps belonging to one of the individuals, and contributing to the narrative of daily life. The wall of the building shows signs of aging with patches of deteriorated plaster, hinting at the passage of time and the lived history within these walls. The overall mood of the photograph is solemn, capturing a moment of stillness and the rugged authenticity of this family’s life in Luzzara, Italy.
