When you discover a special place, your heart is filled with joy, a place that wins you over with its space, but also with its people.
Today I bring you the third and final part of this wonderful exhibition of photographs by J眉rgen Schadeberg, someone who not only took street photos of everyday life, but someone who could capture the soul of people, their passion and joy for the things they did, the essence of their work and daily life.
He was someone who lived in London but moved to a place he fell in love with, and this is evident in his photographs. From then on, part of the province of M谩laga was his home until his last days. He lived in a time when many English people came to this part of Spain for its beauty, its climate and, above all, its people, who are special.
I suppose that the glamour that attracted so many people to this land did not always last, but I can see in J眉rgen's photographs that love for this place, even though, as he rightly said and expressed in his words in the exhibition, the charm disappeared over time, the charm that attracted so many foreigners here, whether to spend their holidays or to live.
In this section, in addition to some photographs referring to people's holidays, the beach and others, I have grouped together many of the photographs taken by the photographer at parties and festivities typical of Malaga, and by that I do not mean the city of Malaga, but the entire coast, as J眉rgen lived in Fuengirola for a long time.
Another of the quotes I liked to include here is the one I am showing you. It speaks of the warmth of the people, their generosity and a very particular sense of honour. Perhaps this has changed a little over time, but that is the essence of the people of M谩laga.
In that sense, I feel very much in tune with J眉rgen. When I arrived, I felt that positive energy vibrating everywhere. The people of M谩laga are cheerful, and that cheerfulness is contagious. I like that vibe, and he's right, there's a lot of warmth in the people.
It reminded me of my own anecdote. I was walking with my aunt and uncle and asked them where a certain place was, not because I didn't know, but to find out if they knew where we were on the promenade. A woman approached us because she had heard me and thought we were lost. She wanted to help us by guiding us. People help and help and are always willing to do so. That's why I understand J眉rgen.
He photographed bullfights, which are as characteristic of this place as verdiales, pilgrimages, religious festivals and traditional celebrations. You can see what I'm talking about in his photos: the people, the festivities, the joy, the laughter, the emotion... he photographed the feelings of the people, their experiences.
The most characteristic features of this area are in his photographs. They are spontaneous, genuine, sincere. Just look at the faces of the people, both at a religious festival and at a street celebration.
I couldn't leave out the photographs of ships and boats either. There are a few of those too, taken from spectacular angles, as one of the most important activities on the coast has always been fishing, that noble work.
Almost the entire exhibition consisted of black and white photographs, but there were a few in colour, which were also very beautiful. I particularly liked this exhibition because of the photographer's vision and because, when I saw his art, I could feel what he felt, because I come from a faraway place and I have experienced the same thing as him.
Thank you very much for joining me today. I wish you all a very good Sunday. See you soon.
Amonet.
All photographs are my own.
