There were probably one, or some, before. But the black and white snapshot of Camarón y Paco de Lucía Posing shoulder to shoulder, full of affection and complicity, it has remained in the memory of many as the first photograph in which some flamencoThey appeared laughing. Through this image, old art jondo It not only seemed to change its well-known image of serious and solemn music: a new era was also dawning, marked by an air of modernity, daring and sex appeal of that invincible tandem.
Behind the lens was Pepe Lamarca (San Isidro, 1939), an Argentinian boy who honed his skills as a photographer alongside his five brothers in the rural world of Buenos Aires province, and later became involved with local labor unions, which led to his imprisonment and exile in Spain. Since settling first in Madrid and then, since 1978, in Cantabria, where he still resides today, Lamarca's camera has been powerfully drawn to the world of culture, and especially to the flamenco.
Now, the Circle Flamenco Madrid sponsors the publication of a beautiful volume entitled Pepe Lamarca's flamenco photographyIt features eighty images from the period between his arrival in the Spanish capital and the present day. A selection that, in the words of one of its curators, Carlos Martin Ballester"It does not pretend to be exhaustive, but rather representative" of this formidable production, and it features a prologue by Cristina of Middel, National Photography Prize winner and president of the Magnum Agency, and an introductory study of Peter G. RomeroThe book will be presented this Saturday, May 30th, at 1:00 p.m., at the Corral de la Morería from Madrid with Pepe Lamarca himself and Silvia Marin (free admission until capacity is reached), although other presentations are planned in different cities across the country.
"Beyond the immense documentary value of this archive, the book 'The Flamenco Photography of Pepe Lamarca' from the Círculo de Madrid is also a testament to the deep affection and gratitude that the world of flamenco "He feels affection for this endearing man, whose only reproach is that he left for his beloved Cantabria, where he cannot be hugged as often as one would like."
Content Pepe Lamarca's flamenco photography, with that priceless portrait of Francisco Moreno Galvan And his genuine eye patch reveals that kind and deeply human gaze upon the flamenco and flamencoIt has always been the hallmark of the Argentinian, from the first approaches to the phenomenon, especially magnetized by the dance of Antonio gades...even his most iconic portraits, such as Camarón –whose wedding he was the official photographer– to Lebrijano, Agujetas and so many others. “The book combines the most famous images with lesser-known ones, including some previously unseen versions of certain images,” notes Martín Ballester.
It is impossible to summarize the personalities who passed through Lamarca's studio over half a century: Melchor de Marchena and son Enrique, Rafael Romero, José Menese, José de la Tomasa, Fosforito, Tomatito, the Sordera family, the Habichuela family… It also includes some of the photos that served as album covers, some even as recent as the Live on the Circle Flamenco Madrid de Antonio Reyes y Diego del Morao, from just ten years ago.
But beyond the immense documentary value of this archive, the book from the Círculo de Madrid is also a testament to the deep affection and gratitude that the world of flamenco She feels affection for this dear man, whose only regret is that he left for such a remote corner of her beloved Cantabria, where she cannot embrace him as often as she would like. ♦
