The Village (Un Paese, widely known by its Italian title) by Paul Strand was created in the early 1950s as post-war Europe underwent profound social and economic transformations. Conceived as a photobook, the project was a collaboration between Strand and Italian screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, who contributed the textual narrative. The project sought to document life in the rural village of Luzzara, Italy. Created after Strand moved to Europe in 1950, Un Paese is part of a broader series of "place portraits" that he pursued during the last three decades of his life, reflecting his interest in how history and memory shape a community.
Luzzara, located in the Po River Valley, had been a site of anti-fascist resistance and was home to a resilient, working-class community. Zavattini, himself a native of Luzzara, suggested the village as the subject of the project. Influenced by Neorealism’s emphasis on everyday life and working-class experiences, the project presents a nuanced, unromanticized view of rural Italy, focusing on the dignity and endurance of its inhabitants.
Strand’s approach to The Village was guided by a humanist philosophy that sought to capture the essence of a place through its people. The project’s central themes revolve around community, history, and the relationship between individuals and their environment. Unlike his earlier candid portraiture, Strand’s subjects in Un Paese pose deliberately for the camera, asserting their presence and individuality. By photographing them in their homes, workplaces, and communal spaces, Strand constructs a visual narrative of a village where past and present intersect, shaped by shared labor and enduring traditions.
Aesthetically, The Village is marked by Strand’s meticulous composition. The images are static, composed with a quiet intensity that allows the viewer to absorb the details of each scene. His use of a large-format camera further emphasizes the textures of stone walls, weathered faces, and rustic landscapes.
Since 1955, The Village has featured prominently in Strand retrospectives—from the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s 1971 survey to Paul Strand: Master of Modern Photography (Philadelphia Museum of Art; Fotomuseum Winterthur; Fundación MAPFRE, Madrid; V&A, London, 2014–16). Career distinctions such as the David Octavius Hill Medal (1967) and Strand’s 1984 induction into the International Photography Hall of Fame, has kept the Luzzara project in steady circulation across exhibitions and scholarship.
