Cover Light filters through the lanterns of the bathrooms of Comares in Spain as seen in this photo by Fernando Manso
Light filters through the lanterns of the bathrooms of Comares in Spain as seen in this photo by Fernando Manso
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Get to know the celebrated international photographer Fernando Manso not just through his work but his creative process as well
After years of national recognition in Spain for his work, Fernando Manso focuses on his photography from over 20 years ago with his latest collection, Jardines de las Colinas de la Alhambra. Currently considered one of the best photographers in the country, he has become part of Spain’s culture and history by sharing his subjective and magical perspective of what surrounds him. Madrid, Spain and other places worldwide have inspired his numerous exhibits and books.
He launched his career as a creative photographer in 2008, slowly leaving behind his work in advertising. Madrid, which has always been so close to his heart, placed him in the creative spotlight nationally and internationally. He then expanded into other places in the country that he believed needed to get the attention they deserved. Jardines de las Colinas de la Alhambra is a collection focusing on the Islamic historical influence in Spain, shown in different national locations since 2015. For the exhibit to travel worldwide, the artist created a company called Alhambra Worldwide, looking to share this collection under the tagline “To Contemplate and Listen to La Alhambra”, which began its tour in Marrakech under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Culture.
Above The photographer spent more than 500 hours immersing in the Alhambra
The photographer spent more than 500 hours immersing in the Alhambra
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Passion and patience describe the Spanish photographer who looks through the lens of his ebony analogue camera (large format 8x10) with a precise, respectful and highly delicate vision of a moment he seems to immortalise. For Manso, it’s not just about being in the right place at the right time but about waiting and trusting the moment. When that happens, he is poised and ready to click.
Above Reflejo, 2022, 106 x 130 cm
Reflejo, 2022, 106 x 130 cm
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Many believe his pictures to be paintings due to an added technique where he leaves the negative out in the open, allowing sunlight, wind and other weather conditions to affect the photographic plate.
In October, Manso surprised us again at the inauguration of Aquilea, his latest project featuring flowers. Some of his photos were what we’ve grown accustomed to when we talk about his signature style; however, others were astonishing and unexpected. Aquilea showed a significant variation of techniques, such as using rain or ice as a playful resource to add value to his pictures. A first in his career was collaborating with his son, Pablo Manso. The two artists created beautiful and lively images that stood out, not just because of the mixed techniques used but because of the emotional power evident in their work.
Above Palacio Real, 120 cm x 150 cm
Above Palacio de Cristal, 120 cm x 150 cm
Palacio Real, 120 cm x 150 cm
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Above Hortensias Oxidadas, 2022, 150 x 132 cm
Above Pintado Sobre Flores, 2022, 180 x 160 cm
Hortensias Oxidadas, 2022, 150 x 132 cm
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Manso continues to evolve his voice through a technique that makes his work so unique and authentic to himself, where each piece transports each viewer to a dream-like thought, memory or reality. He focuses on beauty through light, composition and textures, taking the time to find that perfect moment when all three components come together in perfect unison. The magic is not only in the time he takes for a single shot but the trust in himself not to be able to preview that image on a screen.
Above Entre Hielos
II, 2022, 187 x 140 cm
Entre Hielos II, 2022, 187 x 140 cm
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Above Jarrones, 2022, 140 x 175 cm
Above Entre flores
II, 2022, 234 x 140 cm
Jarrones, 2022, 140 x 175 cm
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Staying true to this work method, he will surely surprise us again with his next project. While he will continue to show his past work in different locations worldwide, he is already working on Susurros de Piedra (Whispers in Stone). Manso will choose 290 pieces from the Hispania Nostra catalogue (which includes over 24,000 articles) and share his vision and reflections on his country’s treasures from the 1st to the 19th century. The artist’s next adventure will include a range of civil, ecclesiastical and scenic images that could take three years to complete.
Above Fernando Manso
Fernando Manso
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Anyone lucky enough to see any of Manso’s large-scale images will agree that it is an invitation to a subjective experience and a sense of nostalgia, eeriness, admiration, beauty, magic, loneliness and peace. His sculptural realism creates an atmosphere that reveals a part of himself and his involvement. “I never shoot until I feel the image,” he says. Manso might take just a few seconds, or weeks or even years, to capture that specific atmosphere in mind, driven solely by the purest of his feelings towards that place and moment. To rush art with so much thought and sentiment behind it would be to remove his soul from the image.
