Archaeological Photography | Fernando La Rosa
Fernando La Rosa (American, born Perú, 1943)Tenoned Head, Chavin de Huantar,1972, Silver print. Collection of the artist.
July 16 to October 27, 2013
Fernando La Rosa has been making photographs of the ancient sites of Perú over a period of 35 years, particularly Cerro Sechin, Chavin de Huantar and Machu Picchu. Of these, Sechin is the oldest, having been built and abandoned over 3,000 years ago. Over the years he has been granted unusual access to the sites, allowing him to record events such as sunlight penetrating temple rooms at dawn, aspects of great importance to the original builders. A Perúvian native, La Rosa moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1972, to study under the tutelage of renowned photographer, Minor White. On his return to Lima, Fernando established the first gallery in Latin America dedicated to photography, curated exhibitions of internationally recognized photographers and published a series of texts on criticisms of photography. In 1975, Fernando organized the first exhibition of the works of the Perúvian photographer Martin Chambi, whose early 20th century photographs of Machu Picchu inspired La Rosa’s interest in archaeological sites. These inherently picturesque places are in La Rosa’s studies shaped by his training and interest in abstract, formal photography. He is currently Photography Program Director at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia.
