Raised on a farm in Brazil, Salgado possessed a deep love and respect for nature; he was also particularly sensitive to the ways in which people are affected by their often devastating socioeconomic circumstances.
GENESIS, the result of an eight-year expedition to rediscover the mountains, deserts and oceans, the animals and peoples that have so far escaped the imprint of modern society - the land and life of a still pristine planet. "About 46% of the planet is still as it was at the time of its creation," Salgado reminds us. "We need to preserve what's there." The GENESIS project, along with Salgado's Instituto Terra, are dedicated to showcasing the beauty of our planet, reversing the damage done and preserving it for the future.
During 30 trips on foot, by light aircraft, ocean-going vessels, canoes and even balloons, through extreme heat and cold and in sometimes dangerous conditions, Salgado created a collection of images that show us nature, animals and indigenous people in breathtaking beauty. Salgado masters the monochrome with an extreme dexterity that can rival the virtuoso Ansel Adams and gives black and white photography a new dimension; the tonal variations in his works, the contrasts of light and dark, are reminiscent of the work of old masters such as Rembrandt and Georges de La Tour.
What does one discover in GENESIS? The animal species and volcanoes of the Galápagos; penguins, sea lions, cormorants and whales of Antarctica and the South Atlantic; Brazilian alligators and jaguars; African lions, leopards and elephants; the isolated Zo'é tribe deep in the Amazon forest; the Stone Age Korowai people of West Papua; nomadic Dinka pastoralists in Sudan; Nenet nomads and their reindeer herds in the Arctic Circle; Mentawai jungle communities on islands west of Sumatra; the icebergs of Antarctica; the volcanoes of Central Africa and the Kamchatka Peninsula; Saharan deserts; the Negro and Juruá rivers in the Amazon; the canyons of the Grand Canyon; the glaciers of Alaska. ...And beyond. Because Salgado put so much time, energy and passion into making this work, he calls GENESIS "my love letter to the planet."
Specifications
Author: Sebastião Salgado
Publisher: Taschen
Size: 251 x 367 x 50 mm
Size: 520 pages
Weight: 3960 grams
Language: English
Material: Hardcover
