Re: Salgado in Sydney

[pgs@pa.dec.com (Patrick Sobalvarro)]

   From: "Garbutt, Robert" <RGarbutt@ncrpexec.telstra.com.au>
   Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 09:56:00 +1000

   I too had the pleasure of seeing some of his work recently - though
   in Sydney not San Diego - no music I'm afraid and no Salgado in
   person either.  His work is amazing isn't it?

   On a purely technical level I was struck by his prints.  Though not
   my favourites, a number of prints of workers closing oil wells in
   Kuwait after the gulf war virtually shimmered.  Somehow there
   seemed to be a gleam of silver that 'painted' the prints with light
   and shade.

   Is this the Leica look, or is there a printing technique behind
   this?

I think it comes from having your subjects freshly coated in crude
oil.  I'm not kidding about that; I often look at my copy of
"Workers," so I know just the photographs you're talking about.  What
does amaze me is the tonal variation of his photographs and how much
information they convey with such very coarse grain.  Very beautiful
stuff.