Natural and human beauties and ailments in the photographs of the book Bahia by Mario Cravo Neto

Abstract

This article deals with the work of Mario Cravo Neto at the documentation of the city of Salvador. In this regard, his book Bahia will be analysed, whose narrative is to show naturals and humans landscapes focusing on the low-income working class. Produced between 1968 and 1980, his photographs do not appeal to aestheticization of the poverty nor to exotic and picturesque representation of this city. Moreover, some of the images distance themselves from the idea of photography as mirror of the Real by exploring shadows, silhouettes and motion blur caused by backlights, low lightening conditions or low shutter speed. The aim is to work on the tension much present in the work of Cravo Neto, especially at the dialogue that it does with the tradition of the “Social Photography” movement and with the photographs attached to the engaged journalism.