Piazza Della Prefettura E Monumento a Nicolò Piccinni 1898

Giuseppe Barberis created this print of Piazza Della Prefettura E Monumento a Nicolò Piccinni. This artwork captures a moment in the history of Bari, Italy. It was a time of significant cultural and urban development. The statue of Nicolò Piccinni, a celebrated composer, takes center stage, reflecting the 19th-century’s emphasis on honoring cultural figures through public monuments. The composition, with its detailed rendering of architectural space and human activity, invites us to consider the relationship between civic identity and artistic legacy. Barberis’s work is a kind of memorial, fixing in place a particular view of the city, and who it chooses to celebrate. The image is also evocative, it’s a moment frozen in time. A group of people strolling in the distance, a solitary figure walking across the piazza, it's all very human. The artwork reflects societal values, shaping how we remember our history, and prompting us to question whose stories are told in public spaces.