BY: MIROSLAV TOMOSKI
Her restored images bring such realism to historic events that it seems as though each photograph becomes a window into the past. Working with snapshots of major events and everyday scenes – originally captured in black and white – she brings history to life by allowing us to see it in glorious colour for the first time. Meet Brazilian artist, and time traveller, Marina Amaral.
The Plaid Zebra: Can you tell us about that process and the research that goes into your work?
Marina Amaral: The first phase and the most important part of the process is the research. I go through a lot of historical documents, articles, newspapers from the time in question, websites, forums and I talk to professionals and experts if necessary. I do this because I’m aware that I’m dealing with history, and it’s not my job to modify things and make them look the way I want. I need to be respectful. That’s why it’s so important for me to research and collect all the details and visual descriptions that I can find. I need and I want to be as accurate as possible with colours.
After she has explored the history behind each photograph, Marina begins the colourisation process. While her work is largely digital, she describes the process as being more like a giant colouring book.
MA: Each and every detail is coloured by hand. Nothing is automatic. I build up layers upon layers, using different colors, to try to achieve a realistic look in each object. A small pebble that you see on the floor was probably colourised using four, five, six layers. It’s a very slow process, but I really enjoy what I do.
TPZ: How do you choose which photos to colourise? Have you had commissions for private as well as historic photography?
MA: The commissions range from family portraits to work for museums, magazines, books, etc. It’s pretty diverse and I feel motivated every day to start a new project. When it is a personal project, I choose the pictures based on my personal interest. For example, I love to study both wars (WWI and WWII), so I’m always working with pictures related to these. I also love to work with images that are portraying a relevant historical events, in the sense of being an event that is stuck in people’s minds. The assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald, the Vietnamese monk burning himself, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. I know these are events that people saw black and white photos and videos of for years, so it’s nice to be able to create a new perspective on that.
TPZ: Is there a particular time period you’re fond of, or a photo that has stuck with you visually or because of the story behind it?
MA: [Inmates at Wöbbelin concentration camp] was one of the first that I’ve done and remains to this day the one that reflects the most powerful image I have ever seen in a picture. For some reason, I have a personal connection with the Holocaust. Since I was very young, I was very curious to understand why and how it happened. I’ve been studying since then and I still can’t understand. But I think it’s part of my job not to let it die. People need to see that it really happened. It was a real thing, not just a nightmare.
TPZ: As someone who tries to discover the context and history behind these images, what do you think a snapshot of a single moment in time can tell us about an entire event in history?
MA: I believe that a picture has the power to tell an entire story. If you look at the details, you can learn a lot from them. Clothes, location, facial expressions, objects and minor details, the historical context. All this, when put together, has enormous power to create a fairly consistent narrative to make you understand better what was happening at that specific time in history.
TPZ: Most of the images are of major events or people, but some are just snapshots of everyday life – similar to something you might find on Instagram. Do you think technology has really changed the way we take photographs?
MA: I think people’s interest in recording normal scenes of daily life remains the same. We have records of great events, but maybe you would be surprised to know that I find way more pictures of ordinary scenes than photos from large and important events. People have always been interested in recording and sharing their lives. Somehow, I think it has not changed.
