N.109 - Napoli Si Guarda

Naples is used to being looked at, but less used to looking at itself. In Elisa Lipizzi’s illustration, we encounter the city through the reflection in a mirror only, behind a woman facing the viewer. The mirror’s frame becomes a window: the Gulf appears within it, turning from backdrop into subject. In the reflection, the woman gives the foreground to the city, yet remains at the centre of the composition. The bold shades of yellow and orange make her stand out against the different tones of blue that define the rest of the scene.