When I was in Medellin on business a few weeks ago, my very gracious hosts asked me whether there was anything I would like to do on a free afternoon. I asked whether there were any photography exhibits going on around town, and they found a small gallery that had just opened a remarkble show by Camilo Echavarria, called "Paisajes Ilustrados", or Illustrated Landscapes. 

The photographs are of Colombian landscapes, with rich colors, details and often a large perspective as well as many details for the viewer to find. I was lucky to have a chance to meet the artist and he explained that he had studied landscape illustrations that were made to accompany travel writing before photography. In their making original sketches by the explorer became idealized lanscape composites in the hands of artists and engravers, who often added a figure or building to provide scale. These works by Mr. Echavarria are their modern descendants if you will. 

In his own words (using Google translate):

"The project illustrated landscapes born from a fascination I've had over many years by the natural landscape. This interest was constantly enriched by the many trips I have made to different locations than I have done research on the representation of the natural landscape in the history of art, literature, travel and mass media. I am interested specifically those illustrations that accompany the writings of Alexander Humboldt and chronicles of some travelers who visited our country in the first half of the nineteenth century. These images are studied in depth in my thesis entitled The illustrated look or illustration of the look: Romanticism in American landscapes Humboldt. Throughout this research I explore the way many of these landscapes lose their status as objective document the description of physical reality is compromised to the interests of different people involved in the design, production and circulation of the images. I am interested in reflecting on the role of man in the landscape, either as an observer, creator or inhabitant. The landscape represented not only a tool for communicating ideologies, but also one of our memory containing entity on its surface that records the history of man's relationship with nature.

The inevitable presence of subjectivity in the representation of the natural landscape is a major concern of this project. I also look beyond the traditional photographic representation, which consists of recording a particular piece of space in a specific moment in time. Subtly altering the topography and controlling the human presence in the landscape, I seek to create images that open questions about the objectivity of the landscape represented as questioning the veracity of the photographic document."

I fell in love with these photographs - and couldn't resist buying Paisaje Montanoso. You feel yourself falling into the lush mountain valley, and also envying the inhabitants of the house on the right their vew. 

Paisaje Montanoso by Camilo Echavarria