A Reflection on Maestro Oliviero Toscani in an Interview with Italian Photographer Alessandro Camponeschi.
BY LF ITALY
January, 2025
Oliviero Toscani, born in 1942 in Milan, Italy, was a groundbreaking photographer, advertiser, and visual communicator whose work challenged societal norms and pushed the boundaries of the advertising world. Best known for his controversial and thought-provoking campaigns for United Colors of Benetton, Toscani's career spanned over five decades, leaving an indelible mark on the world of fashion, advertising, and photography.
But Oliviero Toscani's legacy extends far beyond the realm of glossy magazines and billboards. His provocative images didn't just sell sweaters; they sparked global conversations about race, politics, religion, sexuality, and the very nature of advertising itself. Toscani understood, perhaps better than anyone, that a single arresting image could be more powerful than a thousand words.
We sit down with Alessandro Camponeschi, a contributing photographer for LF Italy Magazine, who had the privilege of attending Maestro Toscani's exclusive masterclasses, to glean insights into the man behind the lens and the enduring legacy he left behind. Through Camponeschi's reflections, we discover a visionary who relentlessly challenged his students to think deeper, to question harder, and to wield their cameras not just as tools of art, but as weapons of social change.
LF Italy: Alessandro, you had the rare opportunity to study under the legendary photographer Oliviero Toscani. Can you tell us about that experience?
Alessandro Camponeschi: Meeting Maestro Toscani was like standing naked before genius. During an intensive five-day workshop in Venice, I had the rare privilege of learning from one of photography's most provocative minds. From dawn to dusk, we immersed ourselves in his world, where every image had to tell a story, every frame had to provoke thought.
This wasn't your typical photography workshop. Toscani didn't teach us about f-stops or how to operate a camera. Instead, he focused on the art of composition rules, photographic cuts, and visual storytelling. He taught us how to see, how to think, and most importantly, how to challenge the status quo through our lens.
LF: What made Maestro Toscani's approach so unique?
AC: Maestro's brilliance lay in his provocative approach to photography. His iconic works - the black and white horses, the kissing nun and friar for Benetton - demonstrated his genius as a thinking photographer. He achieved the caliber of Magnum photographers while maintaining his unique vision of provoking consciousness, whether people agreed with him or not.
For Toscani, photography was about telling stories. He would say, "Take three photographs to better tell the story" - approaching it like a short film. His most powerful lesson came through the example of the young immigrant child on the beach. He asked us to compare the impact of seeing this news on television versus in a newspaper photograph. The key difference? Silence.
LF: Can you elaborate on that concept of silence in photography?
AC: Toscani taught us that a newspaper photograph holds more power than a television report because when you look at a photo in print, you're in silence. There's no journalist talking, no transition to the next story. You have all the time you want with the image, and it's this silence that allows for deeper reflection. He emphasized that without silence, you cannot truly tell stories through photography.
LF: Did Maestro Toscani share any other memorable insights?
AC: A revealing moment came when he asked about my musical background, inquiring about my Fender and Gibson guitars. This led to a crucial lesson: just as the brand of guitar doesn't make the musician, an expensive camera doesn't make the photographer. "It's not the camera that makes the photograph," he would say, "it's the mind, the person themselves."
Maestro was adamant that photography is culture, something to be studied. He despised the notion that owning a smartphone made one a photographer. He insisted we study the masters - from contemporary Magnum photographers like Steve McCurry and Salgado to Henri Cartier-Bresson from the early 1900s.
LF: How did Maestro Toscani's famous Benetton campaigns come about?
AC: His famous Benetton campaigns came from a moment of inspiration in Villa Borghese. After days of creative crisis, he observed children of different races playing together. This sparked his vision of using color and diversity to make powerful statements about unity - showing how children can unite a world while adults wage wars over religious differences.
Before his Benetton success, Oliviero Toscani worked in America, photographing cultural icons like Lou Reed and the Rolling Stones, and moving in Andy Warhol's circle. This period shaped his understanding of photography as both journalism and art.
LF: What was Toscani like as a teacher?
AC: As a teacher, he was tough but fair. He believed in the necessity of confronting one's weaknesses, even if it meant crying in front of your photographs. He would bluntly tell you if a photo was terrible, but this honesty came from a place of genuine commitment to the art form.
LF: How has studying with Maestro Toscani influenced your own photography?
AC: This experience fundamentally changed my approach to photography. It taught me that technical perfection means nothing without purpose, that provocation without thought is merely shock, and that true photographic vision comes from a deep understanding of both the medium and the message.
Those five days in Venice weren't just about learning photography; they were about understanding the power and responsibility that comes with holding a camera. Maestro taught us that every photograph is a decision – a choice not just about what to include in the frame, but about what statement we want to make about the world.
The lessons learned in those intense days continue to influence my work and my understanding of photography's role in society. Maestro Toscani showed us that photography at its best isn't just about capturing moments – it's about capturing minds.
LF: As we remember Maestro Toscani, what do you think will be his legacy?
AC: Maestro Toscani's departure from this world marks the end of an era in photography, but his teachings and influence will continue to resonate through generations of photographers.
His legacy lives on in his revolutionary approach to visual communication and his insistence that photography must do more than just document - it must provoke thought, tell stories, and challenge perceptions.
Each morning in Venice began with tough questions. He would probe our intentions, challenge our assumptions, and push us to dig deeper. The city's labyrinthine streets and shifting light became our classroom, but the real lessons weren't about capturing pretty pictures of bridges and canals. They were about finding truth in the ordinary, provoking thought through imagery, and using photography as a tool for social commentary.
Maestro's approach was revolutionary. While most photography workshops focus on technical mastery, he focused on developing our vision. "Anyone can learn to operate a camera," he would say dismissively. "But can you make people think? Can you make them feel? Can you make them question their assumptions?"
"Photography isn't about the camera," he would say with characteristic directness. "It's about what's behind your eyes, not what's in your hands." His teaching style was as uncompromising as his art – brutally honest, deeply insightful, and transformative.
Toscani departs this world as a complex figure—a provocateur and a philosopher, a teacher and a student of the human condition. His life and work a reflection of the transformative power of images to shatter stereotypes, bridge divides, and awaken the conscience of a society. We come to understand that Toscani's true legacy lies not in the awards he won or the controversies he stirred, but in the generations of photographers he inspire, like Alessandro, to see the world differently—and to have the courage to show us what they see.