Floriano Bodini e la sua scultura nella narrazione per immagini fotografiche di Pepi Merisio

In 1964, the monograph on Floriano Bodini published in the “Quaderni di Imago” marked the beginning of the sculptor’s encounter with photographer Pepi Merisio, initiating a long and fruitful interdisciplinary dialogue. Their collaboration ranges from the documentation of sculptural work to portraiture, and extends to the representation of the creative space—understood as both a physical and mental dimension of art. Merisio photographed Bodini at work in his studios and at the Fonderia Artistica Battaglia in Milan, producing images that, through calibrated use of light and spatial composition, emphasize plasticity, volume, and detail. More than documentation, these photographs become an integral part of the narrative of the creative process. For his part, Bodini regarded photography as an essential analytical tool, valuable for psychological insight and for refining the rendering of his sculptural portraits. This article examines their collaboration (from the 1960s to the early 2000s), highlighting the documentary and interpretative role of photography in contemporary sculpture.