hard Archives • Hypercritic

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Sports

Montréal 1976 | Comăneci and the price of the perfect ten

Matilde Castagnone

Peony - Sepheri

Poems

Address by Sohrab Sepehri | A quest to mirror life between poetry and cinema

Roberta Truscia

Houses at Murnau - Kandinsky Artwork

Art

Houses at Murnau | Simply and colorful inspirations

Valentina Manganaro

Neon Genesis Evangelion manga

Comics

The Neon Genesis Evangelion manga is an oedipal take on mecha

Irene Rubino

Pride and Prejudice -

Books

Pride and Prejudice | Where femininity builds masculinity

Matilde Castagnone

Movies

Cat In The Wall | A critical look at the loss of tolerance

Skye Kuppig

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? | Gauguin’s pictorial testament

Art

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? | Gauguin’s pictorial testament

Maëva Le Roux

Rayuela, playing with the novel. A girl playing hopscotch

Books

Rayuela | Playing with the novel

Alessia Sciannamblo

Center of a star cluster - topic covered in Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

Books

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics | Beauty unfold

Nadia Corvino

Frostpunk City

Video Games

Frostpunk | Survive the Cold, stay human

Gabriele Iuliano

The Father | A psychological thriller in disguise

Movies

The Father | A psychological thriller in disguise

Giulia Orati

NieR: Automata 2B and 9S

Video Games

NieR: Automata | Existence reimagined

Irene Rubino

A black and white film still from Rebecca

Movies

Rebecca | Alfred Hitchcock’s psychological thriller

Skye Kuppig

dark knight returns miller

Comics

The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller | What four different nemeses can tell

Giovanni Di Rienzo

View of the Finch House from the grove near the house

Video Games

What Remains of Edith Finch

Samuele Morsia

Agata Trzebuchowska in Ida by Paweł Pawlikowski

Movies

Ida | A journey to discover one’s own identity

Giorgio Reclama

Invisible Cities, a love poem to the city - black and white photo of Venice

Books

Invisible Cities | A love poem to the city

Giulia Viganò

forbidden harbor safe literary dock

Comics

The Forbidden Harbor | A safe literary dock for lost humanity

Cristina Danini

Art

The Triumph of Death and its strong symbolism

Valentina Manganaro

two men are smoking and drinking at a bar in dim light

TV Shows

Mad Men | The pursuit of happiness in American society

Valeria Usala

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Equiano | The roots of racism

Books

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Equiano | The roots of racism

Giulia Dickmans

Theatrical Poster for Kubrick's 1962 Lolita

Books

Lolita | A character taking on a life of its own

Alessia Sciannamblo

A couple in their house before moving

TV Shows

Scenes from a Marriage | Gender roles, love and an empty house

Giorgia Di Molfetta

Love in the Time of Cholera- A bench

Books

Love in the Time of Cholera marks the peak of the author’s ascendancy

Carmen De Nisi

Between the World and me talks about the black body, an issue that has been recently shared by the Black Lives Matter movement

Books

Between the World and Me | Opening a third way to fight

Alessia Sciannamblo

The House of the Spirits | From a letter to the magical feminism

Books

The House of the Spirits | From a letter to Magical feminism

Carmen De Nisi

Costretti a sanguinare | A stream of consciousness in a punk world

Books

Costretti a Sanguinare | A stream of consciousness in a punk world

Cristina Danini

The Candidate - Closeup on the American Flag

Movies

The Candidate | American politics before the Watergate

Skye Kuppig

Film still from 1944 Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman

Movies

Gaslight | When the personal becomes political

Skye Kuppig

Pesaro Altarpiece

Art

The Pesaro Altarpiece and the painting within a painting

Valentina Manganaro

A red neon heart.

Books

Camere Separate | The search for a balanced existence

Alessia Sciannamblo

Vita, Morte e Miracoli di Bonfiglio Liborio - A madman

Books

Vita, Morte e Miracoli di Bonfiglio Liborio

Alessia Sciannamblo

The Tête à Tête - The William Hogarth's artwork

Art

The Tête à Tête time in a Marriage A-la-Mode

Valentina Manganaro

The Dark Glow of the Mountains - Exploring inner landscapes. View of Gasherbrum I, II, III and IV as well as Broad Peak Central and Broad Peak Main.

Movies

The Dark Glow of the Mountains | Explore inner landscapes

Giulia Dickmans

The Man Standing Next Still from the Movie by Woo Min HO

Movies

The Man Standing Next | Shakespearean Tragedy in 70s Korea

Skye Kuppig

Before and after Twin Peaks

TV Shows

Before and after Twin Peaks

Gabriele Siciliano

Via Gemito | Looking back in anger at family shadows

Books

Via Gemito | Looking back in anger at family shadows

Letizia Bastonero

The Waste Land | A influences constellation in an ode to desolation

Poems

The Waste Land | A influences constellation in an ode to desolation

Agnese Mosconi

The Leftovers - Sheriff Car during a parade

TV Shows

The Leftovers | A symphony of grief

Federica Gandolfo

Mommy

Movies

Mommy | An intimate portrait of the mother-son bond

Andrea Donini

BoJack Horseman looking desperate.

TV Shows

BoJack Horseman | A human journey

Federica Gandolfo

Chernobyl - A woman and two men are discussing inside a room on a plan to follow and save millions of lives

TV Shows

Chernobyl | What history can teach

Valeria Usala

Contemporary Art

Celebrating Women in Abstraction at Centre Pompidou

Helena Sinibaldi

Music

Beyondless | Deconstructing punk music

Jacopo Soru

Golden Lion winner Faust, by the German artist Anne Imhof, was the main event of the 57th Venice Biennale, in 2017. It was a 5-hours-long performance.

Contemporary Art

The spontaneous discipline of Anne Imhof’s Faust

Christine Bax

Grant Morrison The Invisibles

Comics

The revolutionary power of The Invisibles by Grant Morrison

Gabriele Siciliano

magine courtesy of NeONBRAND via Unsplash. This photo represents a garage crowded with things that fit with Salnted & Enchanted as it was recorded ina similar setting

Music

Slanted & Enchanted | Cut up noises over the success

Jacopo Soru

Bicycles in Via delle Volte by night, Ferrara, Italy.

Books

Altri Libertini feels like a punch in the stomach

Alessia Sciannamblo

Soldiers of Salamis | A writer's version - A black and white picture of a tank

Books

Soldiers of Salamis | A writer’s version

Flavia Di Mauro

I Am Not Your Negro - Image of author James Baldwin in a Crowd

Movies

I Am Not Your Negro | Witnessing American History

Skye Kuppig

The four horsemen of the apocalypse

Art

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Annamaria Russo

Dorohedoro characters mix dark fantasy and comedy - The Final Volume

Comics

Dorohedoro characters mix dark fantasy and comedy

Giovanni Di Rienzo

Otto Dix's Metropolis shows the contrast between poverty and social difficulties after WWI, with the excesses and energy of the metropolitan nightlife.

Art

Otto Dix’s Metropolis displays social and existential crisis

Valentina Manganaro

The Chapel of the Holy Shroud - Internal dome view

Art

The Chapel of the Holy Shroud is a journey towards the light

Valentina Manganaro

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice | Don't turn your back on death

Video Games

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice | Don’t turn your back on death

Mariarosa Palamara

My Brilliant Friend illustration

Books

My Brilliant Friend has a unifying power

Alessia Sciannamblo

The view of the Red Creek Valley

Video Games

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter | Stories of a missing child

Samuele Morsia

A scene from Captain Fantastic

Movies

Captain Fantastic | Can a family thrive away from society?

Nadia Corvino

Books

The Road explores climate crisis and alienation

Alessia Sciannamblo

A scene from the movie Manchester By The Sea

Movies

Manchester by the Sea | An emotional study on grief

Iside Sparagio

On Body and Soul

Movies

On Body and Soul | The disability to expose oneself

Giulia Dickmans

Amy Adams in Arrival

Movies

Arrival | A close encounter of the fifth kind

Giorgio Reclama

Educazione Sabauda | Sounds from Torino

Music

Educazione Sabauda | Sounds from Torino

Maria Chiara Pacifici

Wuthering Heights | When love becomes an obsession| thunderclous

Books

Wuthering Heights | When love becomes an obsession

Maria Luisa Da Rold

A portrait of colorful parrot on a black backgroung.

Books

The Broom of the System is like the pendulum of a clock

Hypercritic Editorial Staff

Sound of Metal | A quest for stillness - A frame from the movie

Movies

Sound of Metal | A quest for stillness

Nadia Corvino

Books

The Master and Margarita | Mikhail Bulgakov’s troubled novel

Alessia Sciannamblo

A row of desks in a classroom.

Books

The Topeka School describes a polarized society

Alessia Sciannamblo

Arash Marandi in A girl walks home alone at night

Movies

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is a love story

Skye Kuppig

Dark Souls screenshot

Video Games

Dark Souls | From videogame to Myth

Luca Amaranto

In the Mood for Love shapes solitude and expectation. It does so through locations as well. This image shows two tree trunks inside the ancient temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Angkor Wat is an important location in the movie.

Movies

In the Mood for Love | Loneliness and expectation

Andrea Donini

Movies

The Lighthouse portrays the struggle of humanity

Skye Kuppig

A part of the vault frescos of Correggio's Camera della Badessa.

Art

The Chamber of the Abbess | The impossible art reproduction

Valentina Manganaro

Engraving from William Still's history UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 1872

Books

The Underground Railroad tells more than Black history

Alessia Sciannamblo

watchmen comics

Comics

How Watchmen Changed Comics Forever

Gabriele Siciliano

Michael Smith's Untitled shows an alligator claw holding a clothes hanger, providing a lead for further contemplation through subtle, everyday objects.

Contemporary Art

Untitled provides for contemplation through everyday objects

Christine Bax

The image represents a gloomy desert immersed in some fog. It represents well the mood of Blues For The Red Sun

Music

Blues for The Red Sun | Where Psychedelia meets the Desert

Jacopo Soru

Movies

Mustang | A battle for women’s freedom

Roberta La Macchia

There Existed An Addiction To Blood -A red flow, as blood in the veins.

Music

There Existed An Addiction To Blood | Between cinema and human nature

Jacopo Soru

Brooklyn Bridge - NYC

Books

The New York Trilogy is a brilliant philosophical adventure

Erica Bassani

The Majesty - Enthroned Madonna with the child Jesus, whether or not accompanied with angels and saints.

Art

The Majesty of Simone Martini in Siena

Valentina Manganaro

Oxygen in my tents | Amelia Rosselli’s side of the story - Red Poppies

Poems

Oxygen in my tents | Amelia Rosselli’s side of the story

Sofia Fiorini

Movies

Titane | Cyberpunk hybrids, homicide and a quest for love

Giorgia Di Molfetta

what dreams may haunt hollywood

Movies

Mulholland Drive | All roads lead to Cinema

Davide Tiberga

The Watchmen cast - A woman all dressed in black, a man all dressed in red and three police officers are standing inside a park

TV Shows

Watchmen | A subversion of the superhero

Valeria Usala

Classic Bowler Hat on Chessboard

Books

The Unbearable Lightness of Being exposes love’s dynamics

Erica Bassani

Painting of the raising of Lazarus by Caravaggio

Art

The Raising of Lazarus shows Caravaggio’s innovations

Valentina Manganaro

Doré and the horror vacui in Dante's Divine Comedy - An illustration

Art

Doré and the horror vacui in Dante’s Divine Comedy

Valentina Manganaro

Neon Genesis Evangelion | The harsh relationship with the other - An Angel

TV Shows

Neon Genesis Evangelion | The harsh relationship with the other

Giovanni Di Rienzo

The Binding of Isaac starting page

Video Games

The Binding of Isaac | A game designed to fail

Antonella Massaro

One Hundred Years of Solitude - A palm

Books

One Hundred Years of Solitude | History in a family saga

Carmen De Nisi

A melted ice-cream in a street.

Books

Tiffany McDaniel’s The summer that melted everything

Alessia Sciannamblo

A great wood comes against Macbet Castle to vanquish him.

Movies

Throne of Blood | Translating Shakespeare into Film

Davide Tiberga

San Girolamo -St. Jerome reading in his studio, painted by Antonello da Messina, 1475 ca.

Art

Saint Jerome in his study | A new humanist iconography

Valentina Manganaro

Gary Oldman as Herman Mankiewicz in Mank

Movies

Mank | The Impression of a Man’s Life

Skye Kuppig

The image shows a nightlife local in stockholm

Music

Welfare Jazz | A furious cacophony for country outlaws

Jacopo Soru

Boldini's Portrait of Elizabeth Drexel Lehr | Escaping with joyful vortexes - a detail

Art

Boldini’s Portrait of Elizabeth Drexel Lehr | Swirls of escape

Valentina Manganaro

I Know This Much is True - Dominick is sitting on the edge of a waterfall and reads the notes his mother gave him about the story of his grandfather

TV Shows

I Know This Much is True | A centrifuge of sadness

Valeria Usala

Maid, Maddy sitting on Alex's shoulders while they walk into the wood

TV Shows

Maid | A game-changing tail on motherhood and abuse

Sara Erriu

Westworld charachters: Dolores and Maeve, Season 3 - human-like androids

TV Shows

Westworld | Free will is not free

Jordi Ferrer Torres

Ernest Hemingway writing at his campsite in Kenya in 1953

Books

The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories

Alessia Sciannamblo

Dark is an exception - Jonas from the present talks to Jonas from the future on a bench

TV Shows

Dark is an exception among TV shows

Valeria Usala

Persepolis graphic novel war

Comics

Persepolis | An intimate narration of war

Cristina Danini

Rome 1960 | Running barefoot towards Eternal Glory

Sports

Rome 1960 | Running barefoot towards Eternal Glory

Hypercritic Editorial Staff

Hawkeye When t art-style becomes storytelling

Comics

Hawkeye (2012-2015) | When an artistic style becomes storytelling

Gabriele Siciliano

Berserk Black Swordsman

Comics

Berserk | The path of the Black Swordsman

Giovanni Di Rienzo

Teatro Olimpico - The swan song of Andrea Palladio

Art

Teatro Olimpico | Is the greatness of things merely an appearance?

Valentina Manganaro

Esty is getting shaved by a woman after her marriage

TV Shows

Unorthodox | Finding one own’s voice

Valeria Usala

The Scottish post-rock band Mogwai at the Melt! 2015 in Ferropolis/Germany

Music

The Hawk is Howling | Electronic bliss, noisy violence

Jacopo Soru

Foe | The problem with speaking on behalf - Seaweeds shaken by sea currents

Books

Foe | The problem with speaking on behalf of another

Flavia Di Mauro

Bowie's Low embodies the modern spirit.

Music

Bowie’s Low embodies a modern spirit

Vanessa Cammarota

A Lover's Discourse: Fragments | The words of love

Books

A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments | The words of love

Margherita Pescarin

The image shows a house in a forest- like terrain shrouded by a mysterious fog. It suits the mood of the record

Music

Visions of Bodies Being Burned | Beyond the greatest horrors

Jacopo Soru

UK flag waiving in the sky

Music

(What’s The Story) Morning Glory? | Britpop’s finest

Maria Chiara Pacifici

The Eminem Show | Where rap meets rock

Music

The Eminem Show | Where rap meets rock

Maria Chiara Pacifici

Hachette cover of a Visit From the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan

Books

A Visit From the Goon Squad is a symphony of voices

Alessia Sciannamblo

Victoria by Sebastian Schipper

Movies

Victoria | One city, one night, one take

Giorgio Reclama

RDR2 main characters

Video Games

Red Dead Redemption 2 | Outlaws for life

Gabriele Iuliano

The Underground Railroad

TV Shows

The Underground Railroad | On the screen

Sara Erriu

tennis racket

Books

Infinite Jest | David Foster Wallace’s maximalist novel

Andrea Migliorini

The image represents a broken city, it can be seen as an allegory for the amin theme of the record

Music

West of Eden | Threnos for the western world’s end

Jacopo Soru

Madame Bovary | Emma Bovary teaches how to be a bovarist - a woman

Books

Madame Bovary | Emma Bovary teaches how to be a bovarist

Carmen De Nisi

A woman is sitting at a desk inside an office and another woman is standing in front of her, discussing an investigation case

TV Shows

Unbelievable | A story of injustice

Valeria Usala

Joseph the Carpenter - Painting of an old man (Saint Joseph) and child holding a candle

Art

Joseph the Carpenter shows de la Tour’s mise-en-scene

Valentina Manganaro

Film and projectors in an archive

TV Shows

The Man in the High Castle | “What have might been”

Sara Erriu

The immersive experience of Return of the Obra Dinn

Video Games

The immersive experience of Return of the Obra Dinn

Gabriele Siciliano

Locke

Movies

Locke | The hero’s journey at the wheel

Andrea Donini

Uncle Boonmee

Movies

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

Skye Kuppig

| mic on empty stage

Books

A Horse Walks into a Bar | A dark comedy night

Giulia Viganò

Primary - Black and White photo of John F Kennedy

Movies

Primary | An intimate portrait of J.F.K.

Skye Kuppig

Books

Fahrenheit 451 transcends the boundaries of science fiction

Alessia Sciannamblo

Through examples taken from everyday life, The Good and Bad Government produces an effective declaration of political and didactic intent.

Art

The Allegory of Good and Bad Government has a didactic aim

Valentina Manganaro

As I Lay Dying - An American road

Books

As I Lay Dying | A revolutionary literary style

Andrea Migliorini

Midsommar - a boy and a girl walking together

Movies

Midsommar | Ari Aster’s horror fairy tale

Skye Kuppig

Emmanuelle Riva in Amour by Michael Haneke

Movies

Amour | An experience

Giorgio Reclama

Ride the Lightning. Lightning during a thunderstorm.

Music

How Ride the Lightning helped establish the metal genre

Jacopo Soru

Lady Gaga | The Tenth Anniversary of Born This Way

Music

Lady Gaga | The Tenth Anniversary of Born This Way

Isabella Cagna

Flatland | A world limited to two dimensions - geometric pattern

Books

Flatland | A world limited to two dimensions

Giulia Viganò

The Stockholm library

Books

Luis Borges’ Fictions is a game of chance

Alessia Sciannamblo

TV Shows

Alfredino | Reconstruction of a national tragedy

Agnese Mosconi

Poe - Black poisonous flower

Poems

The Raven | Poe’s study on paranoia

Agnese Mosconi

Blurryface | A personification of insecurities

Music

Blurryface | A personification of insecurities

Isabella Cagna

A portait of the author of Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf.

Books

Mrs Dalloway | Time, death and longevity

Irene Rubino

1960 European Nations' Cup | When politics defeated football

Sports

1960 European Nations’ Cup | When politics defeated football

Matilde Castagnone

The Eight Mountains | Everyone has a peak to climb

Books

The Eight Mountains | Peaks to climb in life

Cristina Danini

Journey to the End of the Night | Wandering in an unsettled life | Raining night

Books

Journey to the End of the Night | Wandering in an unsettled life

Cristina Danini

Mindhunter

TV Shows

Mindhunter | How to understand serial killers’ patterns

Giulia Orati

Nessun rimorso (No regrets) about Genoa G8, by Zerocalcare.

Comics

Nessun Rimorso about Genoa G8 | Comics and collective memory

Irene Rubino

The Undoing is not only a murder story - a picture from the series

TV Shows

The Undoing is not only a murder story

Andrea Donini

Cyberpunk 2077

Video Games

Cyberpunk 2077 | The next-generation narrative universe

Federica Gandolfo

Portal

Video Games

Portal | Rethinking the FPS

Jordi Ferrer Torres

Jane Eyre: an inner journey towards emancipation | ancient house in the countryside

Books

Jane Eyre | An inner journey towards emancipation

Maria Luisa Da Rold

Illustration of Charles Bukowski, Post Office's author, in yellow and black

Books

Post Office is like life itself: a mean, dirty, boring spot

Alessia Sciannamblo

Underworld - New York picture in black and white

Books

Underworld | A dual conception of history

Alessia Sciannamblo

The Handmaid's Tale | Nolite te bastardes carborundorum is a cry of power

Books

The Handmaid’s Tale | Nolite te bastardes carborundorum is a cry of power

Carmen De Nisi

Sherlock Holmes' violin

TV Shows

Sherlock | The beloved investigative loner

Giulia Orati

Circulus at Progeny 3, Leamington Spa

Music

The Lick On The Tip Of An Envelope Yet To Be Sent

Jacopo Soru

Charles Sobhraj in a 60s America

TV Shows

The Serpent | Asia’s most famous serial killer

Margherita Pescarin

Sense8

TV Shows

Sense8 | A celebration of human connectedness

Andrea Donini

One of the huge exhaust nozzles of the rocket’s engines

Music

The Downward Spiral tells about the fall of a man

Jacopo Soru

Muses and women celebration | Polyhymnia - A colors dance

Music

Polyhymnia | Muses and women celebration

Hypercritic Editorial Staff

The cover of Kobane calling today

Comics

Kobane Calling | Zerocalcare reports on a fight for an ideal

Irene Rubino

The Burnout Society | Han against freedom

Books

The Burnout Society | Han against freedom

Francesco Merlino

Camille Henrot Grosse Fatigue

Contemporary Art

Grosse fatigue | The Inexhaustible nature of knowledge

Veronica Schirru

Hollow Knight | Promo image

Video Games

Hollow Knight | No cost too great

Antonella Massaro

The Portrait of Mrs. Isabel Styler-Tas, painted in 1945, exemplifies Salvador Dalì's unique take on the the so-called paranoiac-critical method.

Art

The Portrait of Madame Isabel Styler-Tas shows Dalì’s method

Valentina Manganaro

Gold cage, courtesy of Images Rouges via Adobe Stock

Books

The power of language in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Erica Bassani

Grace is a pure drop in an ocean of noise.

Music

Grace | A pure drop in an ocean of noise

Vanessa Cammarota

Sandman Stories

Comics

The importance of stories in The Sandman

Gabriele Siciliano

Hawaiian view from the top of the island

TV Shows

Lost | The first mainstream phenomenon on TV

Valeria Usala

Loki

TV Shows

Loki | The God of Mischief is back (again)

Giulia Orati

Sharp Objects - A deep and dark humanity

TV Shows

Sharp Objects | A deep and dark humanity

Luisa Zhou

Interior of Rothko Chapel Rothko Chapel abstract universal spiritualityRothko Chapel abstract universal spirituality

Contemporary Art

Rothko Chapel | Abstract art equals universal spirituality

Helena Santidrián Mas

American Psycho the darkest side of society

Books

American Psycho | The darkest side of society

Giulia Viganò

Achtung Baby - A Warning old sticker.

Music

Achtung Baby | When U2 dreamt it all up again

Maria Chiara Pacifici

Ode to Psyche - John Keats

Poems

Ode to Psyche | John Keats’ tribute to the soul goddess

Sofia Fiorini

Contemporary Art

Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail to the Dark Lioness

Christine Bax

Sitting cows in the grass.

Music

Atom Heart Mother is Pink Floyd’s weirdest experiment

Jacopo Soru

Madonna of the Harpies, by Andrea del Sarto, Uffizi, Florence

Art

Madonna of the Harpies | Between divinity and nature

Valentina Manganaro

Hades | A game where you make progress by dying

Video Games

Hades | A game where you make progress by dying

Jordi Ferrer Torres

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