This archive is founded upon an extensive collection of photographs of Italy produced over the last 25 years and covers a broad range of places and subject matter, both ancient and modern. Further work covers large parts of France, UK and other parts of Europe. The newly revised website uses a refreshingly different themed structure which enables users to quickly access concisely edited...
more »This archive is founded upon an extensive collection of photographs of Italy produced over the last 25 years and covers a broad range of places and subject matter, both ancient and modern. Further work covers large parts of France, UK and other parts of Europe. The newly revised website uses a refreshingly different themed structure which enables users to quickly access concisely edited selections of images on a range of European places and subjects and now provides the opportunity to purchase online. The collection aims to convey a true sense of place and has been deliberately edited to bear the visual signature of a single photographer rather than following the current conventions in stock imagery. Places and things of colour and beauty are found here, but the collection also stresses a broader historical dimension as well as a passion for the graphic statement and the purity of the monochrome image.
An example of this approach can be found in his book "Roads to Rome". This is a visual exploration of modern Italy in the context of its ancient backdrop using the network of Roman roads as its structure. In his Foreword, the eminent curator Colin Ford wrote, "Heseltine's beautiful black and white shadows of the distant and recent past powerfully summon up the great Roman roads of Italy, the material with which they were built, and the mean and women who have used them - and continue to do so. In these pictures, ghosts really do come to life."
In contrast, much of John Heseltine's recent work is set in the UK and France and examines the abstract and symbolic nature of the modern built environment and how these influence our behaviour. He divides his time between Gloucestershire, UK and the Charente Maritime region of southwest France.
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