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Sebastião Salgado. Génesis
“In GENESIS, my camera allowed nature to speak to me. And it was my privilege to listen.” —Sebastião SalgadoOn a very fortuitous day in 1970, 26-year-old Sebastião Salgado held a camera for the first time. When he looked through the viewfinder, he experienced a suddenly life made sense. From that day onward—though it took years of hard work before he had the experience to earn his living as a photographer—the camera became his tool for interacting with the world. Salgado, who “always preferred the chiaroscuro palette of black-and-white images,” shot very little color in his early career before giving it up completely.Raised on a farm in Brazil, Salgado possessed a deep love and respect for nature; he was also particularly sensitive to the ways in which human beings are affected by their often devastating socio-economic conditions. Of the myriad works Salgado has produced in his acclaimed career, three long-term projects stand Workers (1993), documenting the vanishing way of life of manual laborers across the world; Migrations (2000), a tribute to mass migration driven by hunger, natural disasters, environmental degradation and demographic pressure; and this new opus, GENESIS, the result of an epic eight-year expedition to rediscover the mountains, deserts and oceans, the animals and peoples that have so far escaped the imprint of modern society—the land and life of a still-pristine planet. “Some 46% of the planet is still as it was in the time of genesis,” Salgado reminds us. “We must preserve what exists.” The GENESIS project, along with the Salgados’ Instituto Terra, are dedicated to showing the beauty of our planet, reversing the damage done to it, and preserving it for the future.Over 30 trips—traveled by foot, light aircraft, seagoing vessels, canoes, and even balloons, through extreme heat and cold and in sometimes dangerous conditions—Salgado created a collection of images showing us nature, animals, and indigenous peoples in breathtaking beauty. What does one discover in GENESIS? The animal species and volcanoes of the Galápagos; penguins, sea lions, cormorants, and whales of the Antarctic and South Atlantic; Brazilian alligators and jaguars; African lions, leopards, and elephants; the isolated Zo’é tribe deep in the Amazon jungle; the Stone Age Korowai people of West Papua; nomadic Dinka cattle farmers in Sudan; Nenet nomads and their reindeer herds in the Arctic Circle; Mentawai jungle communities on islands west of Sumatra; the icebergs of the Antarctic; the volcanoes of Central Africa and the Kamchatka Peninsula; Saharan deserts; the Negro and Juruá rivers in the Amazon; the ravines of the Grand Canyon; the glaciers of Alaska... and beyond. Having dedicated so much time, energy, and passion to the making of this work, Salgado calls GENESIS “my love letter to the planet.”
192 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2013
49 people are currently reading
1392 people want to read
About the author
Taschen
518 books361 followers'Taschen is an art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. It began as Taschen Comics publishing Benedikt's extensive comic collection. Taschen has been a noteworthy force in making lesser-seen art available to mainstream bookstores, including some fetishistic imagery, queer art, historical erotica, pornography and adult magazines (including multiple books with Playboy magazine). Taschen has helped bring this art into broader public view, by publishing these potentially controversial volumes alongside its more mainstream books of comics reprints, art photography, painting, design, fashion, advertising history, film, and architecture.' - Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
Want to read
May 24, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH4GA...
"Sebastião Salgado’s Eternal Images of Humanity on the Move" in:
http://www.bjp-online.com/2016/07/seb...
http://loeildelaphotographie.com/en/2...
UPDATE
https://www.revistaprosaversoearte.co...
UPDATE
https://imgur.com/a/6F8pXXD
July 19, 2022
An absolutely stunning, big, heavy book full of black and white photographs.
Making over 32 trips over 8 years to various places around the world, through the extremes of hot and cold temperatures, and in some instances danger, Sebastiao Selgado has taken photos of people, animals and places that most people have never seen.
The photos are exquisite, showing his mastery of the camera as well as his love of the planet Earth and the people and creatures that inhabit it.
Salgado reminds us "We must preserve what exists."
For a glimpse inside the Genesis project - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHJWgQxTous
My one annoyance with the book is that single photos are spread over two pages ruining the viewing experience. It does not allow justice to be done to the photos. However I know that the book would be almost twice as big and heavy if the photos were made to fit one to a single page.
Making over 32 trips over 8 years to various places around the world, through the extremes of hot and cold temperatures, and in some instances danger, Sebastiao Selgado has taken photos of people, animals and places that most people have never seen.
The photos are exquisite, showing his mastery of the camera as well as his love of the planet Earth and the people and creatures that inhabit it.
Salgado reminds us "We must preserve what exists."
For a glimpse inside the Genesis project - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHJWgQxTous
My one annoyance with the book is that single photos are spread over two pages ruining the viewing experience. It does not allow justice to be done to the photos. However I know that the book would be almost twice as big and heavy if the photos were made to fit one to a single page.
March 28, 2018
Wow. Images to stun one to silence. Phenomenal work.
August 10, 2014
I'm probably biased from the stunning exhibition now in Milan, where the quality of Salgado's black and white photographs is off the chart; but this book is a really good quality collection of the Genesis project, even if the dramatic contrast of the photos got a bit lost in the prints, and I really don't approve the choice to print on double pages "cutting" them in half.
Highly recommended to photo lovers.
Highly recommended to photo lovers.
April 26, 2020
This book took me a couple of years to go through. But it's definitely worth it. It's an enormous book both in size and matter.
Salgado's photography is stunning - his compositions and black and white conversions are incredible pieces of documentary and art. A fine photographer indeed. I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to everybody interested in photography.
Salgado's photography is stunning - his compositions and black and white conversions are incredible pieces of documentary and art. A fine photographer indeed. I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to everybody interested in photography.
May 28, 2023
I'd say it's out of this world, but the sheer beauty of this book lies within this Earth's crust and what occupies its surface.
January 7, 2014
Whole review here: http://bojanfurst.com/?p=2634
There are not many books of photographs that are truly important in a larger, social context, but I think that Sebastião Salgado’s Genesis is one such book. Aesthetically, philosophically, and even technically, this is not a perfect book, but, so far, it is this century’s most important collection of photographs. [...]
If visual ode to the planet, a love letter of sorts, is what Salgado wanted to create, he has succeeded. That is why his book is beautiful, but it is not why it’s important. Its importance is that Salgado has presented us with a visual record of Earth that we don’t often see – a majestic place that is a home to all of us. And now that this book is in front of us, we have to ask ourselves: “Is all this worth rethinking the path we are on?” Now, because Salgado has made this book, we have to make a choice.
There are not many books of photographs that are truly important in a larger, social context, but I think that Sebastião Salgado’s Genesis is one such book. Aesthetically, philosophically, and even technically, this is not a perfect book, but, so far, it is this century’s most important collection of photographs. [...]
If visual ode to the planet, a love letter of sorts, is what Salgado wanted to create, he has succeeded. That is why his book is beautiful, but it is not why it’s important. Its importance is that Salgado has presented us with a visual record of Earth that we don’t often see – a majestic place that is a home to all of us. And now that this book is in front of us, we have to ask ourselves: “Is all this worth rethinking the path we are on?” Now, because Salgado has made this book, we have to make a choice.
March 15, 2016
My introduction to Sebastio's work was his Genesis exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum. The beauty of his B&W images can almost be overwhelming and I've been a huge admirer of his work ever since.
The beauty of this book is that you can linger on the images, take them in smaller bites, knowing that with 500 pages of images, there will be lots to entice you the next day, and the one after that. There are no filler images, each is an amazing piece of photography in an amazing environment, almost all being places that I will have neither the strength & ability to get to!!
What a fascinating world that exists in Sebastiao's book.
I highly recommend that you try and explore it through his images.
The beauty of this book is that you can linger on the images, take them in smaller bites, knowing that with 500 pages of images, there will be lots to entice you the next day, and the one after that. There are no filler images, each is an amazing piece of photography in an amazing environment, almost all being places that I will have neither the strength & ability to get to!!
What a fascinating world that exists in Sebastiao's book.
I highly recommend that you try and explore it through his images.
November 18, 2016
Sorprendente, meraviglioso, inenarrabile. Un volume magnifico, preziosa l'edizione, curata, un regalo generoso e apprezzatissimo. Intenso, vivo, denso... io proprio non so come comunicarvelo... e ho avuto persino la sfacciata fortuna di godere della mostra dal vivo... Una gioia immensa, un incanto continuo, senza fiato sospesa nella meraviglia. :) Si capisce che adoro questo volume? XD
March 25, 2019
Stunning black & white images, makes you appreciate nature so much more and also how vital it is to maintain nature ❤️
May 27, 2025
Amazing!
July 14, 2015
A photographic project of remarkable scale and significance.
PS : If you happen to live anywhere near an actual exhibition of "Genesis", you should check that out (I personally haven't). If that is not the case, this book is a very good alternative way of experiencing the work.
PS : If you happen to live anywhere near an actual exhibition of "Genesis", you should check that out (I personally haven't). If that is not the case, this book is a very good alternative way of experiencing the work.
March 16, 2017
Beautiful and rich images that inspire, awe and amaze. Truly a wonderful addition to our library.
January 19, 2025
A Breathtaking Book
The photographs in this book, the real stars of the show, are fantastic beyond words. In addition, the build quality of the book is excellent. The binding is not glued, but sewn and the pages are coated with a film of plastic that not only protects them but makes the photographs stand out even more. Despite the fact that the photographs are the center of the book, the text, despite its very simple nature (i.e., descriptions of what is in the photographs, comments on the author’s traveling there, etc.) supplements well those photographs. All and all, an excellent coffee table book as well as work of art. Five stars.
The only recommendation that this reviewer has for those considering purchasing the smallest edition of this book is that they consider spending a little more money and purchase a larger edition of this work. A larger edition would not only provide larger pictures and large text fonts (the one critique this reviewer has of this particular edition is that the fonts are microscopic) that would provide for a more impressive book.
The photographs in this book, the real stars of the show, are fantastic beyond words. In addition, the build quality of the book is excellent. The binding is not glued, but sewn and the pages are coated with a film of plastic that not only protects them but makes the photographs stand out even more. Despite the fact that the photographs are the center of the book, the text, despite its very simple nature (i.e., descriptions of what is in the photographs, comments on the author’s traveling there, etc.) supplements well those photographs. All and all, an excellent coffee table book as well as work of art. Five stars.
The only recommendation that this reviewer has for those considering purchasing the smallest edition of this book is that they consider spending a little more money and purchase a larger edition of this work. A larger edition would not only provide larger pictures and large text fonts (the one critique this reviewer has of this particular edition is that the fonts are microscopic) that would provide for a more impressive book.
August 8, 2018
Beautiful pictures of places that men have not changed yet. The earth as it should be. It is also interesting to read about some of the difficulties Salgado and his team had in getting to some of these places.
My only problem was to place indigenous peoples under the same concept. They have culture and they affect the world around them. Of course they do it in a different scale and nature as compared to capitalist modern societies, but still, they are not “natural”, just different. They may show that it is possible to do things differently, they may represent lifestyles under threat, but they are not Adam and Eve, they are not in Paradise, their life is hard and they pay a heavy price to keep their traditional ways.
(I read the Brazilian edition in Portuguese)
My only problem was to place indigenous peoples under the same concept. They have culture and they affect the world around them. Of course they do it in a different scale and nature as compared to capitalist modern societies, but still, they are not “natural”, just different. They may show that it is possible to do things differently, they may represent lifestyles under threat, but they are not Adam and Eve, they are not in Paradise, their life is hard and they pay a heavy price to keep their traditional ways.
(I read the Brazilian edition in Portuguese)
December 8, 2025
The book basically has 3 kinds of pictures: people, landscapes and animals. And I prefer them in that order. The pictures of these ancient tribes from all over the world are wonderful and I am so interested by everything I see and the information supplied. The landscapes are shot beautifully but I don't really care that much. They mostly don't look that unique, in my opinion? The rainforest in Madagascar looks like the rainforest in New Guinea. Sometimes they are unique, like the baobabs or Bryce Canyon, but these exceptions. The animal pictures straight up look like holiday photos. Usually quite bland compositions and not really adding much to the story of the book.
I recently rewatched Baraka and this kind of gave me the same vibe which was wonderful.
I recently rewatched Baraka and this kind of gave me the same vibe which was wonderful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2024
Con este libro sentí que era un explorador más junto con el fotógrafo Sebastiao. Me gusta que el lenguaje sea sencillo y aunque no hay esfuerzo para imaginar los lugares con las fascinantes fotografías yo estaba ahí.
¡Qué calidad de fotografías! Es impresionante la cantidad de viajes realizados (32) a diferentes lugares del mundo y con climas extremos en muchos.
Este libro fue un conjunto de "coincidencias" y admiro el trabajo de Sebastiao porque justo hace unos años ví la noticia sobre él y su esposa (sin saber que él era el autor del libro) donde reforestaron una finca de él en Brasil de más de 600 hectáreas.
¡Qué calidad de fotografías! Es impresionante la cantidad de viajes realizados (32) a diferentes lugares del mundo y con climas extremos en muchos.
Este libro fue un conjunto de "coincidencias" y admiro el trabajo de Sebastiao porque justo hace unos años ví la noticia sobre él y su esposa (sin saber que él era el autor del libro) donde reforestaron una finca de él en Brasil de más de 600 hectáreas.
January 25, 2025
One of the best books ever made about a photography immersed in nature and cultures. Not from an anthropologist nor a biologist perspective, but from one of the best photographers of the last half century.
Finally managed to read it, and what a pleasurable adventure to the eyes of the imaginative mind, who wanders freely for an hour from text and footnotes to marvellous black and white photographs.
Finally managed to read it, and what a pleasurable adventure to the eyes of the imaginative mind, who wanders freely for an hour from text and footnotes to marvellous black and white photographs.
November 12, 2025
El texto a veces parece prometer algo que no llega, y describe lugares y personas que no siempre llegamos a ver en las fotografías. En ese sentido, a ratos parece excesivo cuando podría simplemente dejar que hablen las imágenes, dado que no son más que descripciones enciclopédicas y no reflexiones propias del autor.
Las imágenes, por supuesto, son increíbles, aunque su agrupación por ubicación geográfica no es necesariamente la más interesante.
Las imágenes, por supuesto, son increíbles, aunque su agrupación por ubicación geográfica no es necesariamente la más interesante.
December 28, 2019
Amazing. If you focus too much on his absolute technical ability, you may feel like throwing your camera away but, in the end, it would be something like stopping playing sax after having listened to Coltrane. Anyway, apart from his exceptional ability, Salgado is a master in letting you fall in love with his work and, obviously, with Nature
February 20, 2022
5/5
I consider Sebastiao Salgado and Ansel Adams the true masters of landscape photography.
As a professional landscape photographer myself, I often come back to their books to find inspiration, and every time I notice and learn something new.
Genesis is a timeless work of art.
Every photographer, landscape or not, should have this book to their collection.
I consider Sebastiao Salgado and Ansel Adams the true masters of landscape photography.
As a professional landscape photographer myself, I often come back to their books to find inspiration, and every time I notice and learn something new.
Genesis is a timeless work of art.
Every photographer, landscape or not, should have this book to their collection.
December 1, 2024
It is hard to condense a lifetime of exploration into a single book with a few dozens of images, but this book provides an interesting overview of how wide, far and deep Sebastião travelled to. Also made me feel proud to know that each book plants a seed so in some very, very small way, I have contributed to implement his dream of the forest recovery in Amazonia.
July 20, 2017
In praise of nature from the greatest.
A tiny note for Salgado lovers: If you watch his biographical documentary movie, The Salt of the Earth, Genesis will most certainly gain a more special meaning in your heart.
A tiny note for Salgado lovers: If you watch his biographical documentary movie, The Salt of the Earth, Genesis will most certainly gain a more special meaning in your heart.
August 12, 2018
Acho que não há melhor forma de definir esse livro do que usando a definição da Nanci: LIVRO SUPERLATIVO! Sebastião Salgado e sua obra são um patrimônio, um presente para a humanidade definitivamente... Será que os demais livros dele seguem essa mesma estrutura e organização de imagens e textos?
September 12, 2022
Kirjalliset ansiot eivät erikoiset, koska tekstiä on vain siteeksi. Mutta valokuvakirjahan tämä onkin - ja kulttuuriteos. Aivan valtavan upea siinä. Mielelläni olisin nähnyt vastaavat myös värikuvina.
January 9, 2018
Sir i want to read the book....
August 18, 2019
Meraviglioso, non ci sono altre parole per descriverlo.
January 15, 2020
Words cannot express what a graphic photo can present. Black and whites photos are my expressive love.
February 16, 2021
Truly amazing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews