Photodocumentary labyrinths of solitude : first glances at the works of Manuel Álvarez Bravo and Graciela Iturbide

Abstract

Octavio Paz was a Mexican avant-garde poet who maintained a close connection with the surrealist movement. In 1990, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature for his book "El laberinto de la soledad", originally published in 1950. Parallel to Paz's work, photographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo developed his work in the City of Mexico, both within the surrealist movement and through photodocumentaries, portraying Mexican culture. Later, Graciela Iturbide, his main disciple, continued documenting Mexican culture through photography. Based on this, this article - the first look at the research project - seeks to identify and compare the Mexican culture described by Octavio Paz in his magnum opus with the photodocumentary works of Manuel Álvarez Bravo and Graciela Iturbide. For him, an analysis of the photographic discourse of two photographs from each of the photographers has been developed. This represents an unprecedented perspective on Manuel Álvarez Bravo and Graciela Iturbide, both extensively investigated, although from different perspectives.