Memories Moods & Meaning In Still Life

Edge of Humanity Magazine

16 hours ago

Photographer Marisa Martínez is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this photo essay. From the project ‘Still Lifes’. To see Marisa’s body of work, click on any photograph.

Among all that is old, a flower emerges. –
Contrast between all the dark, old, and brown
objects and the small yellow flowers of the field

Mortar and pestle and garlic.- Everyday objects,
simple things that bring to mind familiar scenes
from the past

Sewing machine.- The sound of the sewing
machine takes us back to memories of when our
grandmothers still sewed and made their own
clothes.

Gramophone – It takes us back to the parties of
our grandparents and great-grandparents. A
luxury item that mine never had, and now my
brother has one as decoration.

The evocative power of strategically placed objects are undeniable; a violin will bring to mind that oft-heard melody, a tureen will evoke aromas and flavors from bygone eras.

But composition, light, and colors also produce other effects within us: peace, serenity, well-being, or harmony; or, conversely, conflict or unease, depending on what the object itself suggests or its intended use. (A champagne glass is not the same as a rifle.)

Other objects carry great symbolic meaning: skulls (death and destruction), books (wisdom), candles (life, light), keys (new horizons), crosses, rosaries, money…

My still lifes aim to evoke memories and stir moods in the viewer, conveying, through objects, the ideas I believe in.

Tomatoes – Who doesn’t know what a tomato is?
The humble product within reach of every
Spaniard.

Boot and book – A symbolic photograph about
the triumph of force over knowledge.
Unfortunately, in most cases throughout history
and today, force always prevails over reason.

Memories – A glass of good wine, a good book
by candlelight, a key that opens a mysterious
door, and a strange painting. Everything invites
reflection on possible outcomes

Mortar and pestle.- Humble objects of humble
people on the verge of disappearing.

Ceramics and iron. Contrast between the two
white porcelain pieces, decorated with flowers,
and the metal musical instrument. The latter is
dark and elongated, the others curved and light

I started in the world of photography very late, after retiring in 2019. My photographic training consisted of several years of courses taught by renowned photographers (Julián Ochoa, Cristóbal Trujillo, etc.). My true training, however, came from the 20 Degrees Collective, where I spent three years.

My photography can be described as expressionistic, painterly, with strong contrasts, creating baroque atmospheres with light.

Provocative, yet respectful, free, uncensored, often irreverent, and above all, fresh and spontaneous. It's photography that recreates what I imagine, following the path of conceptual photography. I like to capture what society hides: difference, illness, fragility, old age, the flaws and shortcomings of humanity. I seek an aesthetic outside of standardized commercial norms.