Stop 1571

[gentle guitar music]

Male narrator In this series from the 1860s, photographer Benito Panunzi presents some of the emblematic settings of the capital city of Buenos Aires. Following Argentina’s independence from Spanish rule in 1810, the city experienced a major period of growth. Modeled on Paris, with wide, straight boulevards, spacious parks, and imposing classical monuments, the city was meant to project the image of a grand, civilized society.

But, are Panunzi’s images historical documents, or are they constructed artworks?

[music ends]

Associate Curator of Latin American Art Collections at the Getty Research Institute, Idurre Alonso.

Idurre Alonso Every photograph, it’s always constructed. Because when an artist decides what he’s going to photograph, what is the frame?  What is the theme? So, in the case of Panunzi, he decided to photograph specific monuments.  He didn’t decide to photograph the underprivileged people, for example, living in harsh conditions in Buenos Aires, which is something that was also happening.

So, he is really putting together an image of the city.

The thing about these photographs is if you think about how they’re done, how they have the title underneath, the oval image, and the blurry aspect of the edges — all of that connects those images to printmaking.

[music resumes]

Male narrator These borrowed touches helped legitimize Panunzi’s work as art, during a period when photography was still a relatively new medium. He sold prints as single artworks as well as bundled together in photographic albums.  Panunzi’s assembled albums promoted the economic and cultural development of Buenos Aires, constructing a desirable, positive view of the city that led to increased demand for his work.