La paura della fotografia

With its appearance, photography raised great enthusiasm and strong expectations, but also doubts and opposition. The essay discusses the fear that has accompanied photography, drawing a parallel with the fears, maybe even more pronounced, provoked by film. ‘Iconophile’ theories may be fascinating for the strength with which they try to legitimize the new inventions; but they fail to see impasses and blind alleys. A ‘negative’ theory allows us to grasp both media in all their depth, problematizing their separation as distinct, unrelated objects.