Manel Armengol: Herbarium

Manel Armengol began his career as a freelance journalist in early-1970s Spain, and by the 80s he had evolved into an important photojournalist, responsible for some of the most iconic images of the country’s political upheaval during those tumultuous transitional years—until a severe accident truncated his brief journalistic career in its prime. This beautifully produced clothbound volume presents an exploration of Armengol’s post-journalistic oeuvre of the past two decades, with a focus on one of his most ambitious series. Herbarium (2004) is a suite of beautifully crafted, closely-cropped photographs of 118 plants, 88 of which are reproduced here. Essayist Margaret Hooks writes, “Armengol’s intent in creating Herbarium was to use the camera to rescue. . . seemingly simple plants from anonymity and show their serene beauty. His Herbarium does much more than that. In these photographs a metamorphosis takes place whereby the image of an unpretentious herb is transmuted. The commonplace becomes profound and mysterious, transformed into a banquet for the eyes. Vibrating with energy, leaves and tendrils swirl and curl in a gothic flamboyance, plump pistils perforate the air with sensuality; flower heads hang delicately on radiant stalks as the artist’s vision enables us to see them in their sublime splendor.”