Saugatuck Reservoir, May 2022 Photograph - Limited Edition of 17

Richard Bergan was born in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. As a child, he enjoyed taking photos while at family parties or while on vacation, and in college he began to study and experiment with various photographic styles and concepts. While living in Rome in his early twenties, he was immersed in the Italian culture, where the philosophy of “la bella figura” – literally meaning “beautiful figure” - made an impression on him. For Rich, La bella figura, is far more dimensional than just looking good, or bad, in the eye of society. Instead, he sees it as the practice of enriching one’s environment and elevating the surrounding aesthetic in a way that is authentic. Post-grad, he moved to Manhattan, where he captured this philosophy in street and construction scenes. He later returned to Connecticut where he photographs locally and while traveling. Rich’s photography seeks to expand on the Italian ideal of la bella figura by capturing moments he sees as exemplary and sharing those scenes to enrich life.