Monochrome view of ornate Gothic cathedral spires framed by stone architectural arches.
Close-up black and white photograph of a carved stone sculpture of a woman's head looking into the distance, with blurred architectural details in the background.
A black and white low-angle shot framing a tall Gothic spire and rooftop statue through carved stone architectural arches.
Low-angle monochrome view of intricate gothic stone tracery and pointed arches on the Milan Cathedral.
A black-and-white low-angle shot of the Gothic spire and ornate architectural details of Milan Cathedral against a clear sky.
Black and white low-angle shot of detailed Gothic architectural elements and pointed arches of Milan Cathedral against a clear sky.
Monochrome low-angle view of ornate Gothic architecture details and spires of Milan Cathedral.
Low-angle monochrome view of intricate Gothic spires and pinnacles with sharp shadows.
Monochrome, eye-level exterior view of Milan Cathedral with intricate Gothic facade details, framed by surrounding buildings and a crowd in the piazza.
Black-and-white view of Gothic spires, statues, and architectural details on the roof of Milan Cathedral, with city buildings visible in the background.
A black and white low-angle view of a statue of a man standing atop an ornate architectural spire, framed by two carved stone pillars.
A black and white low-angle view of the ornate gothic architecture of Milan Cathedral, with metal scaffolding surrounding the upper stone spires.
A black and white view of detailed Gothic spires and statues of the Milan Cathedral framed by architectural elements.
Monochrome low-angle shot of the detailed Gothic stone tracery and spires of the Milan Cathedral.
A black and white photograph of a stone statue of a man standing atop an ornate architectural spire overlooking a city skyline.
A black and white view from above showing a statue of a man standing on an ornate architectural spire overlooking a distant city skyline.
Black and white low-angle view of the Duomo di Milano spire surrounded by scaffolding.
Monochrome architectural detail showing repetitive pointed arches, stone carvings, and statues along the exterior of Duomo Milano.
Monochrome view of the intricate spires and Gothic architectural details of Milan Cathedral.
A black and white low-angle shot framing the intricate Gothic architecture and spires of Milan Cathedral through an ornate stone archway.
Monochrome low-angle view of three ornate Gothic cathedral spires topped with statues, set against a plain sky.
Low-angle monochrome shot of the intricate Gothic spires and ornate railings of the Milan Cathedral rooftop.
Low-angle black and white photograph focusing on detailed stone carvings of figures and cherubs on an ornate architectural facade.
A low-angle, black-and-white photograph shows detailed stone carvings of cherubs and foliage decorating the architectural elements of the Duomo Milano.
Low-angle monochrome view looking up at the intricate Gothic architecture, spires, and statues on the roof of Milan Cathedral.
Low-angle monochrome view framing a small pinnacle sculpture of Milan Duomo between architectural elements.
A black and white low-angle view of an ornate Gothic cathedral spire topped with a small figure against a clear sky.
A black-and-white photograph shows the statue of a man holding a flag atop an ornate spire, overlooking city rooftops.
A black and white low-angle shot of a stone statue of a man standing on a pedestal against a backdrop of ornate cathedral architecture.
Low angle monochrome view of two ornate Gothic spires of Milan Cathedral against a clear sky.
Low-angle monochrome view of intricate Gothic spires and ornate stone architecture of the Milan Cathedral.

131

Duomo di Milano

Beyond the icon

An abstract study of the Duomo’s upper world. Statues, spires, and marble forms detached from their postcard identity.

Type
Project
Location
Milan, Italy
Project
2025
Published
August 10 2026

Through the Duomo di Milano, one of Europe’s most famous cathedrals, this project explores what happens when, we move away from (or perhaps closer to) a familiar, iconic overall image and start discovering the small details. Instead of photographing the western façade known from postcards and travel guides, the interior, or the busy square in front of the cathedral, I focused my attention on the small details of the building’s rooftop.

I photographed statues, Gothic spires, small decorative elements, carved stones, and various small parts of the architecture that we normally only see as part of the whole, but would not recognise on their own.

I wanted to make the Duomo a little less recognisable. Since we already know what it looks like, I was interested in what happens when we take its individual elements out of their familiar surroundings. When we look at these details on their own, the cathedral becomes something else. It starts to feel more like a landscape made of stone, shapes, shadows, and lines.

Behind the Project

This section offers a little context to help understand the images and the ideas behind the project. It explains how the work was created, what it explores, and what you might notice when looking closely.

Project Philosophy

The approach and ideas that guide this project are explained below.

Deconstructing the Familiar

When an object becomes iconic, it risks becoming invisible. We recognize it instantly and stop truly seeing it.

This project attempts to undo that recognition.

By isolating fragments of the cathedral’s upper structure, I invite the viewer to encounter the building without the comfort of its full silhouette. The goal is not documentation, but rediscovery.

Architecture as Sculpture

On the rooftop, architecture dissolves into sculptural forms.

Statues emerge as independent presences. Spires become vertical gestures. Decorative elements overlap, intersect, and fragment into abstract compositions.

The cathedral is no longer a building – it becomes a collection of tensions between light and shadow, mass and void.

The Space Above

The rooftop is a threshold between earth and sky.

Here, the city fades into the background. What remains is stone against light, detail against emptiness. The negative space becomes as important as the marble itself.

The Idea and Inspiration

In the early decades of photography, the medium was often used to document buildings before demolition or restoration. Photographers such as Édouard Baldus and Charles Marville created careful studies of architecture during periods of transformation in 19th-century France. Their work treated buildings not merely as scenery, but as historical and structural subjects worthy of close attention.

Although this project is not documentary in the same sense, it is influenced by that early photographic intention: to observe architecture with patience and respect, and to preserve details that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Documenting

December 26, 2025

Rooftop of Duomo di Milano

Milan, Italy

Personal View

I’ve been living in Switzerland for nearly ten years now, only about three hours by car from Milan. Yet I had never visited the city. Its closeness made it feel endlessly postponable – as if it would always remain accessible.

In December 2025, I finally decided to go.

Milan is not, in my view, among the most visually striking European cities. But its atmosphere carries a certain intensity, an Italian rhythm that feels both busy and theatrical. The cathedral stands at the centre of that energy.

The Duomo is undeniably impressive. Vast, detailed, and visually overwhelming both inside and out.

But I found myself wondering: what does it look like when you are no longer looking at it as an icon?

Climbing to the rooftop changed the experience entirely. The cathedral stopped being a symbol and became a terrain. Up there, among statues and spires, it felt less like a monument to be admired and more like a structure to be explored.

Sometimes, to truly see something famous, you have to stand above it and allow it to fall apart.

Tools and Methods

The gear, processing, and conceptual choices behind the project.

01 Gear

Captured with the Sony A7IV and Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G zoom lens.

02 Black and White

Monochrome editing removes the distraction of colour and emphasises:

  • Surface texture of marble
  • Weathered edges and erosion
  • Carved details
  • Structural geometry
  • Light–shadow contrast

The absence of colour allows the cathedral’s materiality to take precedence over its tourist identity.

03 Tight Framing

Most images are framed tightly, often around 60–70 mm.

This compression isolates sculptural elements and removes environmental context.

The result is fragmentation rather than monumentality.

04 Negative space

The sky functions as a field of silence.

Figures and spires stand against emptiness, reinforcing verticality and tension.

05 Overlapping forms and decomposition

Architectural elements intersect and layer over one another.

The cathedral appears almost deconstructed, less like a single structure and more like an accumulation of gestures.

Behind the camera

Dávid Hosszú

Monochrome studio portrait of a man with a beard and hair tied in a bun, looking downward against a plain background.

I approach long-term projects as open studies of identity, place, and human experience. I’m curious about the patterns we share and the details that make us unique, the way expressions, posture, environment, and movement can tell parts of our stories.

My work combines observation, technical experimentation, and a genuine interest in the people and contexts I photograph. Whether I’m working with portraits or with the surrounding world, I try to create images that are both aesthetically refined and connected to simple questions with complex answers: Where do we come from? How do we shape each other? And what traces do we leave behind?

Read more about David

Continue exploring

Continue Exploring

1  /  1