KUBA: POGLED U NEPOZNATU SVAKODNEVNICU

Sugestivni portreti običnih ljudi, vizure egzotičnoga krajolika, vedute malih naselja, „oldtimerska“prijevozna sredstva, svakodnevni ruralni poslovi, „sieste“ i proslave, motivi su koje objektivom bilježi Hubert Casellas Pérez kad, obilazeći uzduž i poprijeko svojom zemljom osobito njezinom unutrašnjošću i zavirujući u svaki njezin kutak, priča priču o Kubi. A ta njegova priča, zanimljiva i ispitivačka, zabilježena njegovim fotografskim okom, otkriva mnoštvo nepoznatih detalja iz svakodnevnoga života ove zemlje. Jer on redovito luta i snima onim stazama koje su izmaknute izvan glavnih urbanih centara, bilježeći objektivom sve što je običnome oku skriveno i sve ono što je neobično. Bira pritom pravi trenutak i pravo svjetlo, traži poseban rakurs i prikladnu poziciju, kako bi otkrio istinsku prirodu kubanskoga čovjeka i zabilježio, prema svojoj osobnoj autorskoj impresiji, kubansku stvarnost. Slaže on tako jedno viđenje Kube puno „subjektivne dokumentarnosti“, koja međutim podrazumijeva viđenje puno autorske osobnosti. Pritom se rukovodi svojim senzibilitetom, jer s jedne strane interpretira motive svjetlom i sjenom (crno-bijele fotografije), a s druge bojom (fotografije u koloru), nastojeći tako, na nekoliko razina i u nekoliko dimenzija, prikazati Kubu koju ne poznajemo. I radi to na sasvim autorski način. Što, kada i kako snimiti, njegov je osobni odabir, a krajnji rezultat uvijek je neosporno emotivno obojen, jer bez obzira na motiv, Casellas uvijek gleda svojim okom, opisuje svojim načinom i natapa izričaj svojom osobnom osjećajnošću. Portreti su mu, tako, većinom crno-bijele fotografije, gdje on znalačkom upotrebom svjetla i profinjenim rasponima crnoga i bijeloga ponajbolje ocrtava željenu psihološku karakterizaciju likova, s naglaskom na njihovoj sugestivnosti i izražajnosti. Isto tako, crno-bijelom fotografijom se koristi i onda kad želi iskazati neku nadrealnu dramatiku i metafizičku prostornu neopipljivost u pejzažima i vedutama, koji onda poprimaju neku drugu dimenziju : istodobno su i stvarni i nestvarni, vremenski „zaustavljeni“ i simbolični. Uz to, tu nema događanja, već je samo registriran ugođaj. Za razliku od crno-bijelih, fotografije u boji su „pričljivije“ i „razgovorljivije“, ali isto tako i vizualno dominantnije, pa otuda one direktnije odražavaju raspoloženje i karakter kubanskoga podneblje, duh Kube i kubansko životno bilo. Jer poznato je, Kuba vrije bojama, pa kroz boje one snažne, žive i žarke i kroz njihovu vibrantnu energiju, ona iskazuje svoje emocije i svoj temperament. A Hubert Casellas Pérez, fotograf i umjetnik koji je na čudesan način znao motivima koje snima „ući u dušu“ i „zavući se pod kožu“, znao je sve to razlučiti i iskazati, pa se tako svojim fotografijama Kube on istinski uvjerljivo znao i dostojno autorski doznačiti.

Višnja Slavica Gabout

CUBA: A VIEW INTO ITS UNREVEALED EVERYDAY LIFE

Suggestive portraits of ordinary people, prospects of exotic landscapes, vistas of small villages, old-timer motor vehicles, the daily routine of rural life, “siestas” and celebrations, all these are motives caught by the lens of Hubert Casellas Pérez on his narrative journey all over his homeland and especially into the interior; exploring every nook and cranny, he weaves an intricate story about Cuba. This intriguing and inquiring story that has been caught by the photographic eye of his lens reveals a myriad of unknown details of everyday life in his country. His regular ramblings take him off the beaten track and away from the main urban centers, and his objective lens records all that is ordinarily hidden to the eye, and all that is unusual. He chooses the right moment and the right light; he searches for special recourse and appropriate positioning in order to discover the true nature of ordinary Cuban people, and applies his personal impressions to record the Cuban reality. In this way, he compiles a vision of Cuba that is imbued with “subjective documentation”, implying a vision that is permeated by the author's individuality. In doing so, he is led by his own sensibility; on the one hand, he interprets motives using light and shade (black and white photographs), on the other, by using colors (color photographs), and so manages to present different levels and different dimensions of Cuba that we have as yet not encountered. This is the quintessence of his specific approach. What, when and how to photograph is his personal choice; the final result is unequivocally emotionally colored as, no matter what the motive, Casellas always sees things through his own eyes, describes them in his own particular manner and infuses his vision with individual emotionality. Subsequently, his portraits are mostly black and white; like a true master and connoisseur, he applies light and refined nuances, ranging from black to white, to delineate the psychological characterization of his characters, with particular stress on their suggestiveness and expressiveness. He also employs black and white photography when he wishes to express surreal drama and metaphysical spatial insubstantiality in his landscapes and vistas, which then acquire a new dimension: they are both equally real and unreal, “frozen” in time and symbolic. In addition, his photographs do not capture events, they merely record atmosphere. In contrast to his black and white photographs, those in color are “bubbling and brimming with articulate loquacity”, but are also visually more dominant, enabling them to reflect the moods and character, the ambiance, the spirit and the pulsing life of Cuba more explicitly. Cuba, as we all know, is teeming in colors, and so it seems natural to use colors - especially strong, lively, colors full of vibrant energy to depict the emotions and temperament of Cuba. The extraordinarily persuasive, discerning and elusive motives in the photographs of Cuba by this author, the photographer and artist Hubert Casellas Pérez, manage to “capture the soul” and “get under the skin” and establish him as a true and worthy master of his art.

Višnja Slavica Gabout