23 December 2011

Stone angel

One of the most powerful and unforgettable song of the pop music universe certainly is Love Will Tear Us Apart (12" vinyl, 1980) by Joy Division. The accomplished song also brought its unique aesthetic through one of the most unequivocal album cover: anybody who has ever seen the abandoned stone angel (photographed by Bernard Pierre Wolff) will never forget.

The masterpiece angel is a permanent resident at Staglieno Cemetery, Italia. Onorato Toso sculpted it in 1910 for the Ribaudo tomb.


Cathy van Hoang is the owner of an Etsy shop named studiocvh (Low Light : Atmospheric : Ugly Beautiful : Photography). She went to the Italian cemetery in 2001 and took pictures of the iconic icon (!) using an old-school Pentax K1000.


Love Will Tear Us Apart # 3




Love Will Tear Us Apart # 1




Love Will Tear Us Apart # 2


studiocvh web site
studiocvh facebook page



Cathy van Hoang's other Etsy shop, PetitBeast: botanical jellyfish air plant terrariums


Other Staglieno Cemetery photos





Other Stone Angels photos








Beautiful original version of Love Will Tear Us Apart on youtube


Beautiful BBC version of Love Will Tear Us Apart on youtube; what a nice speedy rendition!


The Appiani family tomb sculpture, by Demetrio Paernio (1851-1912), features on the cover of Joy Division's album Closer, also photographed by Bernard Pierre Wolff.