Helena Almeida: 'Seduzir' [To Seduce, 2002] (detail)

Collection

Adaro: un estudio de caso [Adaro: case study]

Image caption
MANOLO LAGUILLO

Adaro: un estudio de caso [Adaro: case study]

  • 2021
  • Glicée (pigment inks on neutral pH conservation quality paper)
  • 162,5 x 111,5 cm each
  • Cat. F_464
  • Comissioned from the artist in 2021
  • Observations: 336 photographs mounted in six ensembles
By:
Manolo Laguillo

“In 2020, Banco de España commissioned me for a visual exploration of the work of Eduardo de Adaro. As it was a question of going further than mere reproduction, of photographing it intentionally to erect a discourse that would represent it, I opted for an approach that was not free of subjectivity – that is, removed from the clichés of ordinary architecture photography. I have tried to construct a coherent series of photographs which, as a continuation of my work, will place that of this architect of the Restoration in a new light.

To show the result, I choose a form inspired by the classical idea of the contact sheet, but in order to aid comprehension, I take advantage of the powerful possibilities for editing, ordering and labelling provided by today’s image processing programs. The photographs are arranged chronologically and with the indication of the hour and minute at which each was taken, because I want it to be possible to reconstruct my routes and to know where I paused and what drew my attention. Because the sheets are large, each photograph can be appreciated in detail. However, this way of viewing the sheets – hovering close over them in order – is not the only possible one. Seen from far off, in a comparison, there appear patterns, textures, motifs and themes which reveal both Adaro’s characteristic manners and the capacity of photography to transcend verbal description.”

Manolo Laguillo

 
By:
BDE Banco de España
Manolo Laguillo
Madrid 1953

Manolo Laguillo (Madrid, 1953) is a Chair of Photography at the Universidad de Barcelona and a member of the Real Academia de Ciencias y Artes de Barcelona. From its beginnings in 1976, his work has focused on the representation of cities, aligning with debates on the tensions of urban growth in geography, anthropology, history, and sociology. He has worked in numerous Spanish cities and also in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, Mexico, the United States, North Africa, Lebanon, Ethiopia, and Japan. As a documentary photographer, he is aware of the need to reflect on the medium’s limits, which has informed his writing in several essential books examining fundamental aspects of photographic theory and technique.

BDE Banco de España