Siena dedicates an exhibition to the great American photographer Carl Mydans, just twenty years after his death and eighty years after the arrival of Allied troops (on July 3rd) in the Palio city. The photographic exhibition "Carl Mydans, a giant of photography in liberated Siena" is a beautiful way to demonstrate the significance of a fundamental moment in the life of the entire West, and it is located in the elegant and historic premises of the Academy. The exhibition is curated by Luca Betti. In a story so thrilling that it could be made into a film, the great Mydans is taken prisoner in the Philippines and is part of a prisoner exchange, allowing him to join the troops fighting in Europe, travel up the peninsula, and triumphantly enter many cities, including Siena. With the perspective of a brilliant explorer, the photographs depict the truly moving moments of their arrival, including the great embrace of the Piazza del Campo, which was miraculously preserved from the bombings, along with the entire historic center. The jeep of General de Monsabert is surrounded by the colors of the seventeen Contradas, which have finally returned to light after the darkness of the war. The stories intertwine and already have an epic quality to them. The great general de Monsabert thundered, "Pull where you wish, but I forbid you to go beyond the eighteenth century!" This occurred, and the city preserved its riches, including those inhabitants who had already been tested by years of war and fratricidal struggles. Like a beautiful fairy tale that has resurfaced with these extraordinary photographs. The exhibition's protagonists are approximately two hundred images that go beyond the scope of a single choral historical document: Mydans enjoys portraying faces, small gestures, and emotions. The truth, nothing but the truth, without any embellishments. However, the reality - sometimes - can be truly epic.
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