Sergio Larrain, Valparaiso.

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 Post subject: Sergio Larrain, Valparaiso.
Unread postPosted: Mon May 22, 2017 7:43 pm 
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New LVL member mOnOchrOme posted a recent note letting us know that Aperture recently brought out a new edition, in English, of Sergio Larrain's masterpiece Valparaiso.

I provided some background on Larrain in my LVL posting on the 2013 Aperture retrospective of his work, Sergio Larrain. The Chilean photographer was something of a shadowy figure during his lifetime. Although he was invited to work with Magnum, and Henri Cartier-Bresson was in the nature of a mentor to him, Larrain was not comfortable working on assignment. It was his self-described nature to be free, to take his time, to develop an undisturbed concentration for his subject(s). He was deeply committed to this path, both as a metier, and as a way of life. For much of his life he lived alone or with his young son in remote areas of Chile, explored yoga, zen and other metaphysical practices, and tried to set an example in his life and work for living in harmony with the earth.

Although he was born and raised in Santiago, Larrain will always be associated with Chile's coastal city of Valparaiso because of his deeply sensitive response to it as a subject for his photography. He returned to it at several key points in his life. The first edition of Valparaiso was published in softcovers in Paris by Editions Hazan in 1991 with 38 photographs in black and white and an essay by Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda. It was a long time in gestation, the opening image - a photograph of two young girls walking away from the photographer and apparently descending a staircase - was made in 1952. Larrain first started working with Neruda on a prospective text in 1963. The first edition sold out and has since become a costly collectors' item, commanding a thousand dollars or more when it becomes available in excellent condition.

In late 1993, Agnes Sire (Director, Foundation Henri Cartier-Bresson) received a maquette from Larrain of an expanded edition, in English, of Valparaiso. This mock-up was assembled from photographs and text cut from a copy of the first edition, prints and copies of other photographs, and handwritten poems and mystic references including a guide to meditation. Larrain also sent the negatives and initial proof sheets. He hoped for a new book which would include photographs from his later forays into his beloved hillside seaport (the second edition includes 120 photographs), and which would integrate them with his views on steps the individual and society should take to preserve the city and, by extension, the world, from gradual extinction. Sire provided an essay for this new edition describing the development of both editions. Neruda's evocative essay provides a perfect setting for the images to follow.

Both editions are very much about Larrain's exploration of the city within the geometry of the 35mm frame. Particularly apparent is his sense of the three-dimensions of the picture field: his purposeful use of depth of field. His deliberate use of deep shadow, bright highlight and shapes extending out of the frame seem to extend the frame, in a sense extending his - and the viewers' - vision of the city to the world beyond.

Sergio Larrain, Valparaiso. Aperture Foundation, New York (2017). Hardcover, 207 pp., printed in Germany. List $55.00 (US).


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Last edited by James Lehrer on Sun May 06, 2018 4:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Sergio Larrain "Valparaiso."
Unread postPosted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 6:17 pm 
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James Lehrer wrote:
New LVL member mOnOchrOme posted a recent note letting us know that Aperture recently brought out a new edition, in English, of Sergio Larrain's masterpiece Valparaiso.

I provided some background on Larrain in my LVL posting on the 2013 Aperture retrospective of his work, Sergio Larrain. The Chilean photographer was something of a shadowy figure during his lifetime. Although he was invited to work with Magnum, and Henri Cartier-Bresson was in the nature of a mentor to him, Larrain was not comfortable working on assignment. It was his self-described nature to be free, to take his time, to develop an undisturbed concentration for his subject(s). He was deeply committed to this path, both as a metier, and as a way of life. For much of his life he lived alone or with his young son in remote areas of Chile, explored yoga, zen and other metaphysical practices, and tried to set an example in his life and work for living in harmony with the earth.

Although he was born and raised in Santiago, Larrain will always be associated with Chile's coastal city of Valparaiso because of his deeply sensitive response to it as a subject for his photography. He returned to it at several key points in his life. The first edition of Valparaiso was published in softcovers in Paris by Editions Hazan in 1991 with 38 photographs in black and white and an essay by Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda. It was a long time in gestation, the opening image - a photograph of two young girls walking away from the photographer and apparently descending a staircase - was made in 1952. Larrain first started working with Neruda on a prospective text in 1963. The first edition sold out and has since become a costly collectors' item, commanding a thousand dollars or more when it becomes available in excellent condition.

In late 1993, Agnes Sire (Director, Foundation Henri Cartier-Bresson) received a maquette from Larrain of an expanded edition, in English, of Valparaiso. This mock-up was assembled from photographs and text cut from a copy of the first edition, prints and copies of other photographs, and handwritten poems and mystic references including a guide to meditation. Larrain also sent the negatives and initial proof sheets. He hoped for a new book which would include photographs from his later forays into his beloved hillside seaport (the second edition includes 120 photographs), and which would integrate them with his views on steps the individual and society should take to preserve the city and, by extension, the world, from gradual extinction. Sire provided an essay for this new edition describing the development of both editions. Neruda's evocative essay provides a perfect setting for the images to follow.

Both editions are very much about Larrain's exploration of the city within the geometry of the 35mm frame. Particularly apparent is his sense of the three-dimensions of the picture field: his purposeful use of depth of field. His deliberate use of deep shadow, bright highlight and shapes extending out of the frame seem to extend the frame, in a sense extending his - and the viewers' - vision of the city to the world beyond.

Sergio Larrain, Valparaiso. Aperture Foundation, New York (2017). Hardcover, 207 pp., printed in Germany. List $55.00 (US).



I’m very glad you managed to get a copy, and thank you for describing it so well here. As you say elsewhere, it is indeed a worthy re-publication. When I heard it was coming out I made my way directly to Aperture in New York to get an early copy. I am sorry I didn’t spot your response earlier. I should visit here regularly. I appreciate very much the interest you and others share here in photography, at least in a certain style typified by Leica M’ as opposed to mere gear talk, endlessly tempting as that is. On that point I recall Larrain’s famous letter to his nephew on starting out in photography, in which, even for this most spiritual of photographers, a consideration of the tools of the trade is by no means irrelevant. There’s a nice surprise here in where his recommendation of “something simple, exactly what you need, no more and no less, leads... and in the Leitz product he actually mentions. “

“The most important thing is to have a camera that you like, the one you like best. It has to feel right, its body, and you have to be happy with what you are holding in your hands. The tool is crucial for anyone with a trade. And it should be simple, exactly what you need, no more and no less (a good body, the Pentax with a macro 1:1 lens; Panchito has one I think so go and have a look). Then you need a 35 mm enlarger that you like, one that is as efficient and simple as possible. Leitz´s smallest model is the best and you’ll have it for life. (Leitz has a branch in Santiago, they can import). “


But anyone who hasn’t seen this lovely letter should read it in its entirety on the web, better yet in the first book James mentions (2013), as it is reprinted there.




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 Post subject: Re: Sergio Larrain "Valparaiso."
Unread postPosted: Tue Dec 05, 2017 7:43 pm 
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Dear mOnOchrOme: I apologize for not replying sooner, but I have had difficulty accessing La Vida Leica. I suspect our service provider, Time Warner Cable/Spectrum, installed filters which inadvertently blocked this website, and I could not find a workaround. Then, all of a sudden, the filter (or whatever caused the blockage) has gone!

I wanted to urge you to check in here at LVL frequently, and to join in the discussions. :D


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 Post subject: Re: Sergio Larrain "Valparaiso."
Unread postPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 2:52 am 
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James Lehrer wrote:
Dear mOnOchrOme: I apologize for not replying sooner, but I have had difficulty accessing La Vida Leica. I suspect our service provider, Time Warner Cable/Spectrum, installed filters which inadvertently blocked this website, and I could not find a workaround. Then, all of a sudden, the filter (or whatever caused the blockage) has gone!

I wanted to urge you to check in here at LVL frequently, and to join in the discussions. :D
Sorry for this late reply. I use Spectrum and have trouble with them too. Thank you for the encouragement. I really appreciate it. And Happy New Year! I'll be checking in regularly.

Sent from my EVA-L29 using Tapatalk


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 Post subject: Re: Sergio Larrain "Valparaiso."
Unread postPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 6:43 pm 
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No problem with the delay! As things worked out, my issue with Spectrum was solved in the meantime. :D Happy New Year to you, too.


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