Joel Meyerowitz is a pioneer of street photography, specifically known for depicting the way he sees the world in color. A new exhibition at the Museo Picasso Málaga is currently displaying more than 200 of Meyerowitz’s photographs taken during his European travels from 1966-67, many of which have never been seen before.
Meyerowitz, 28 at the time, had only been photographing for a few years when he decided to set off for a year-long road trip around Europe, immersing himself in new landscapes. He utilized photography as a means of creating significant relationships with the people and places he encountered and also as a way to look inward, examining his own identity. He drove through ten countries, capturing thousands of moments often focusing on the ways people inhabit and animate public spaces.
“I know that the experience of making photographs in Europe changed me and gave me the perspective I needed to see myself, and then, when I returned home, to see America in a different way,” said Meyerowitz.
Photographing in small European towns presented new challenges for Meyerowitz, as he was accustomed to camouflaging in the busy New York City streets, discreetly making his desired photographs. He now had to readjust his practice and learn how to become part of the environments he was in to avoid disturbing them. During his six months in Málaga, he made himself a staple in the town’s daily routine, regularly attending the same places and speaking with the locals. In doing so, he was befriended by one of the great flamenco families in the city, allowing him to have a particularly unique and authentic experience, and resulting in an extraordinary photographic record of Spain.
Meyerowitz carried two cameras with him on this trip; one loaded with color film, and the other, with black and white. It became common for him to make two photographs of the same subject and later examine the pairs side-by-side to pose questions about composition, perception, expression, etc. “If description is what photography is really about, then a black and white photograph misses something by removing color,” he said.
Another experimental technique for Meyerowitz was responding to the view from a car while in motion, taking thousands of snapshots using a car window as his frame. This process later redefined for Meyerowtiz how reality can be communicated with a camera. When Meyerowitz returned to New York, MoMA hosted his first ever solo exhibition, featuring 40 photographs taken from the window of his moving car during his European road trip. This set of original prints are included in his current exhibition in Málaga.
What was once a coming-of-age narrative, is now recognized as an influential project that shaped the way we think about photography today. Europa speaks to the function of photography as a means of personal artistry and connection with the environment, and allows the viewer to step inside his adventure. The retrospective signifies a full-circle moment for Meyerowitz, being hosted in the city that was central to his travels, and serving as a reminder of this pivotal period of his photographic journey.
“When something totally unexpected reveals itself in front of you, it happens precisely because you are there, and because you are ready to recognize it,” he says. “I think my year in Europe also offered me the opportunity to realize how important it is, in photography, to be present.”
