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Photographs, 1920 - 1950
Martín
Chambi
Born
in 1891 to a peasant family of Inca descent, in the
small village of Coaza (province of Puno, north of Lake
Titicaca), Martín Chambi has documented like
few other artists the people and landscapes of the southern
Peruvian Andes, in particular Cusco and its surroundings.
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Thanks
to a well established reputation as a portrait artist,
his studio was frequented by the Cusco elite, whose
parties, weddings, and personal portrayals he interpreted
with such acuteness and sensibility that his work recounts,
more than a particular event, the city's transition
from a post-colonial to a modern society.
Moreover,
Chambi's deep interest in the Andean cultures lead him
into becoming one of the first to reveal the many Inca
monuments discovered at the time. Indeed, it was only
after his 1924 and 1928 reportages that Machu Picchu
-discovered in 1915 by Hiram Bingham- came to the world's
attention, soon after to become the quintessential symbol
of Peru.
Nonetheless,
probably the most important aspect of Chambi's work
regards the continuous portrayal of his own people,
the highland Indians of southern Peru, whom he photographed
in all aspects of daily life.
Regarded
today as one of the most important photographers of
the 20th century, Chambi was virtually unknown outside
of Peru until U.S. photographer Edward Ranney rediscovered
his work in the late 70's. "His life and accomplishments
-asserts Ranney in an essay- represent a unique combination
of historical, cultural and aesthetic considerations
that are of unusual significance in regard to the history
of photography in Latin America".
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1920 - 1950
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