The photographic essay "EL ARTE DE LA GUITARRA" by MarÃa Isabel López Gonzalvez was presented on April 17, 2006 in Cartagena, Spain with an exhibition of the original large-format photographs which are the basis for the book. The book is a beautiful photographic testimony of the care and hard work involved in producing a hand crafted guitar. Maria Isabel made repeated visits to the workshop of John Ray in Granada over a period of two years in an effort to capture the essence of the guitar maker and his work. The photographs, in black and white, are accompanied by short captions in Spanish and English. For more information please see: http://free.000angels.com/artofguitar/libro.htm
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Editorial Reviews
From the Author
The photographic offering presented in this book is the result of the project which all graduating students of the Valencia Arts and Trades School must present...The process of the construction of a guitar...[deals with] people, places and sentiments. A place, Grenada, a special city where the guitar has a life of its own; a person, guitar maker John Ray, for whom the guitar is his world and his way of life, and a sentiment, the very process of construction...a delicate elaboration which becomes an artistic expression thanks to the sensitivity and care of the artisan.
Starting from the understanding of these points... we entered the Granada workshop of John Ray. We wanted to emphasize the dedication of the artisan -of this artisan-, his personal commitment, the wonderfully slow pace and care taken in the constructive process...John Ray, whose passion for the guitar moved him to travel to Spain from Canada. He learned the trade at the hands of Jose Angel Chacon Tenllado, but...in Granada, under the tutelage of Rolf Eichinger...completed his training... His instruments are played by many prestigious musicians; Victor Bravo, Paola Requena, Evaristo Valenti and Jose Plaza. Therefore, we must thank John Ray for allowing us access to his workshop...without which this project would never have seen the light.
I would also like to thank Pepe Luna and F. Javier Sanchez for their help in this endeavor. The first, ...[for] a prologue and to Javier, ...the brief history of the guitar.
About the Author
Maria Isabel Lopez Gonzalvez was born in Murcia, Spain in 1980. It was there that she discovered the art of photography and after completing the full course of two years at the Arts School there she moved on to Huesca to further her studies. After completing the first year there she transferred to the more prestigious Valencia School of Arts where she obtained her degree in artistic photography. One of the requisites for this degree is an original project which in Maria Isabel's case was a series of photographs of the guitar maker at work which was later condensed into this book. In spite of her relatively short professional career, a few of Maria Isabel's photographs have gained critical acclaim and have been included in collective exhibitions. One such exhibition was motivated by the desire to prevent the flooding of some Spanish towns in the foothills of the Pyrenees due to the expansion of the water reservoir in Yesa in accordance with the National Water Management Plan. Maria Isabel now lives in Molina de Segura (Murcia) where she works in her chosen field.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful little book on John Ray Guitarmaker in Spain,
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This review is from: The Art of Guitar / El Arte De La Guitarra (Spanish and English Edition) (Paperback)
This is an exquisite little book in black and white depicting the many various stages and techniques used in lutherie and more particularly in the traditional Spanish techniques of constructing classical and flamenco guitars. John Ray is clearly an old soul like so many great artisans and craftsmen (and women) that come before him. He seems to be a man possessed doing many things in the "ancient" way eschewing power tools at most every turn. Bravo. The photos are exquisite though they are not always crystal clear, the printing while good could be crisper and the paper could be richer and perhaps semi-glossy. All in all this is a great edition to the guitar aficionado or luthier looking to add some food for thought with some rather romantic depictions of old world Spanish tradition in a new world culture. While Granada is rather old compared to the rest of Europe and retains much of it's old world character and charm, modern life with all its' hectic schedule and stress is sadly more and more of a reality for people regardless of where they live. What better way to de-stress than to while the hours away in a relaxed shop setting "away from it all" while also creating beautiful classic instruments that will bring joy and beauty to so many people for decades to come? Bravo Maria Isabel Lopez Gonzalvez and double Bravo John Ray! I want to move to Granada.
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