Two Million Miles

Graphic designer López Castro presents a collection of photographs of street paintings of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a methodological documentation project of a distinctive Mexican folkart he started in 2002 and that culminated in the present book that includes the prologue of anthropologist Roger Bartra. Of the book the author states -"The Guadalupana is the virgin of the poor. That is why in this book I try to make it evident how each Mexican paints her as best as they can, as they need her or with the only purpose of having her present during their daily street walking."

Exhibition highlights of the international photographic collection of the Foundation Televisa in Mexico with text by 81 prestigious writers. Each writer was given a copy of a photograph from the collection (from 1840-contemporary digital works) and asked to write an essay. Some of the photographers include: Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Anton Bruehl, Robert Capa, Gisele Fruend, Graciela Itrubide, Alfred Stieglitz, Cindy Sherman, Tina Modotti. Some of the writers include: Dore Ahston, Amitav Ghosh, Alvaro Mutis, Hugh Thomas, Jorge Volpi, Mike Wallace, Elena Poniatowska.

A look at the work of sixteen postwar Mexican photographers--including Tina Modetti, Flor Gardegno, and Eugenia Vargas--shows how the photographers explore traditional themes in Mexican culture with innovative styles.

As I recall discovering this book of photographs, I remember the sense of beauty and mystery that remains undiminished almost seventy years after its original publication. On a formal plane, one can easily understand how Man Ray manipulated the optics of the camera, juxtaposing near and far, object against object, space against object, and tactile against transparent. It is also apparent how he deliberately manipulated the process of photographic printmaking, using unusual tones of black, white, and gray to transform content into spaces, forms and surfaces. However, it is not simply how Man...