La Classe

"La Classe" is one of Marco Appugliese's latest works recently presented during his personal exhibition in the Italian seat of UET in Rome. This is his first digital and color image collection. Leaving out the remote atmospheres of his female silhouettes, the artist tries his hand at a lighter and everyday theme by portraying - always with humor and freshness - a group of classmates in the mists of their youth, intrigues and beauty. These 19 protagonists of a high school classroom have shared some years of their lives with the typical adolescents' intensity. Appugliese was also in that course, as a teacher, a friend and a photographer who, through his eyes, could catch the different aspects of their unique characters and expressions based on his deep knowledge and observation of those teens about to become young adults. It's easy to recognize the artist's style in these digital and color photos as well: his technical precision and his ability with light exposure reveal superior clearness, great precision of shapes and color accuracy.
The exhibition follows a rhythmic order: the first image presents the author deep in taking photos of the protagonists who alternate with each other for portraits or group shooting. All photos follow a three-shot based sequence where every subject – except for the last one – appears first alone and then with two different classmates, thus creating a continuous order.
While his close up portraits leave the public astonished for their communicative strength, the group scenes – very similar to tableaux vivants – can seem hard to understand as they refer to the specific and intimate story of the classroom. Trough ironic and allusive references, the relevant taglines can give just an idea of that far apart universe that, for this reason, appears to be even more attractive from an emotional and visual point of view.