GENERAL PROLOGUE
WOLRDS THAT INSPIRE WORLDS, THAT CREATE WORLDS
Photography is a science-based technique for recording images, whose discovery came at a time when the world demanded bidimensional, reliable, accurate, and affordable representations of reality.
From the first attempts of pioneer Henry Fox Talbot, an effort was made to document both the macro- and the microworld. The new discovery was instantly hailed with joy by the art community which, unburdened from the duty to represent objects in a reliable fashion, could now focus on
representing their aura.
A few decades after its discovery, photography had already branched into several schools, some artistically ambitious, some aiming to make photography a source of technical and scientific knowledge, and some simply willing to document the achievements of other disciplines.
This was the case of scientific photography, a tool used by researchers or technicians employed by laboratories to provide
images that could prove or disprove the hypotheses of scientific research and
testify to their conclusions.
Very seldom, a researcher or photographer appears who transcends the boundaries of mere representation to exert their influence on the world of art without neglecting the original purpose of documenting reality. Some of them have included Eadweard Muybridge, Karl Blossfeldt, Harold Hedgerton, Carl Strüwe, and, more
recently, Steve Gschmeissner.
Antonio Romero occupies a prominent place in the international photography scene. His impeccable captures remain an excellent scientific document, but at the same time they transcend their original function to burst into the field of art thanks to the force of his compositions, his command of color, and his precise framing. His photographs are suggestive to the viewer's imagination and, at the same time, invite to search for similarities between the macro- and the microworlds.
It is hard not to indulge in fantasy when contemplating the Martian landscapes, the spaceships, the deconstruction of modern architecture, and the utopian and dystopian skylines hidden in his scientific photographs. Before these images, we must ask ourselves: what exactly is it that makes technique an inspiration for art?
Several first-class artists have acknowledged their inspiration in the photographers mentioned above, and some of the best photographers have in turn been inspired by the work of said artists. This fruitful feedback becomes apparent in the work of Antonio Romero: he could never have lighted, composed, and used color in this way without truly and deeply embracing the avant-garde visual art of the XX century.
This eternal circle is just another manifestation of the beauty of life. Nothing is created or destroyed, and evolution never stops, from the beginning to the end of time. Therein lies its strength and its truth.
Vicente del Amo
Photographic Documentation Professor.
University of Granada (Spain).