The Black & White Book

v o l u m e
#01

a u t o r e s
Alexandru Crisan, Aurora, Arek Akki, Axel Schneegass, Branislav Fabijanic, Carlos Lopes Franco, Elsa Martins, James Wigger, Jayanta Roy, Jean-Luc Billet, João Coelho, João Pádua, John Gill, Jorge Pimenta, Karim Bouchareb, Marc von Martial, Michał Konrad, Mindaugas Gabrenas, Olavo Azevedo, Philomena Famulok, Pietrino Di Sebastiano, Roberto De Mitri, Rocco Carnevale, Rui Correia, Selaru Ovidiu, Svetlin Yosifov, Tadeu Vilani, VagueandoPorLisboa, Walter Caterina, William Frederking

e d i t o r
José Godinho

c u r a d o r i a
João Coelho

d e s i g n
marcvaz.com

e d i ç ã o
Junho 2022

i m p r e s s ã o
Europa

i s b n
978 989 53554 6 4

Prefácio

The authors represented in this book, regardless of the styles that guide their work, have a common denominator: they have chosen, as a way to express their art, monochrome photography. Classic, timeless, ravishing, captivating, stimulating, challenging, black and white insists on remaining as a reference and assumes itself as an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
We can distinguish diverse motivations that originated the striking and unique styles of these authors, or what drove them to explore different, even daring, techniques.
Human nature itself, the way they perceive and relate to their surroundings, or simply their state of mind in a certain place or moment, were certainly decisive for some.
Many may have been inspired by the timelessness of the great classics of photography or could not resist the melancholy of a past where the simplest was, simply, the most perfect.
Others certainly surrendered to the aesthetic seduction of the interpretation of reality that the monochrome is capable of, exploring the immense scale of grays that extends from the purest white to the deepest black.
In other ones, it is possible to identify an irresistible attraction for experimentalism, resorting to techniques or approaches that overthrow conventions or ignore idiosyncrasies, with the ultimate intent of reaching unexplored or increasingly daring levels of creativity.
The expression of these motivations materialized in several styles of photography that this book sought to explore and present, without claiming to be exhaustive. 30 authors show, here, several directions that contemporary monochrome photography has taken, through unique and unrepeatable images that represent their artistic vision immortalized in time and space. 30 authors who invite each of the readers to appreciate their vision and to make their own interpretation of reality.

by João Coelho
Fotógrafo / Curador / Autor
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