REFLECTION [back]

TUTORIA (1968)

TUTORIA

Just few months before “May 68” in Paris triggered a social and political chain of events that shacked our western societies after the end of second world war period, I photographed this image. The Portuguese Revolution of 74 was undreamed of. We were still living under Salazar’s political and cultural regimen. Censorship was an everyday event. We were living in an isolated country. Those were boring and unexciting days for the young men I was.

I had recently bought my first camera in second hand dealer. It was a Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex, a medium format twin lens reflex. For me it was an affordable version of a Rolleiflex! I still have that camera. I will try it again soon, to see how it feels nowadays!

Film at that time was too expensive for my wallet. Every photo was well thought of, and I planned a lot before pressing the shutter. At that time I was self-taught. I bought all the darkroom chemicals at Drogaria Castilho, a local drugstore. The formulas came from a kind of photographic almanac. My parents kitchen at night was my darkroom. Mostly due to censorship visual information on photography was very sparse in those times. International photographic magazines and books were rarities. And those who knew something about photography would keep it as a secret!

But I was already deep in love with the alchemist side of photography and nonetheless with seeing and making photographs.

It was a grayish cold winter sunday afternoon. I had just been walking along an almost abandoned railway inside Porto. I was interested in exploring photographically the railway lines, the winter trees… I remember to have put my camera at the rails level, kneeing, and waiting for a train. Than a man came to me and assuming that I was suffering from a love grief, just told me: “They don’t deserve that.” I understood his care for my life, and thanked him.

I kept walking along that railway line and I found myself on the backyard of a prison for juvenile delinquents. I had never personally contacted that reality. It was sunday and they were playing football (soccer). Euzebio was a football myth and that sport an internal political anesthetic. They saw me and came over to that gate. We were almost from similar ages, and we talked a little. Then I asked them to make their portrait.

This old photo is a milestone in my photography. I realize now, that it is possible to find a strong link with my recent projects: Manikarnika Ghat, and Fading Hutongs. Since my early photographic days I am chasing two photographic aesthetics. One more visual and media oriented, and another truly cultural and socially concerned.

Júlio de Matos
May, 23th 2009

Notes: A cropped version of this photograph was my first entry on a photography exhibition.