Images of the spirit

Résumé : In the New York Times Book Review, Christine Schwartz Hartley wrote of the hardcover edition of Images of the Spirit, "Ms. Iturbide's definition of beauty is complex--in turn violent, spiritual, joyous, tense or tender--and it always has to do with dignity, the dignity of a ritual performed, a bond asserted, an identity worn with pride." Now available in a new paperback edition, this subtle yet powerful book of photographs blends evocative scenes from the many subcultures of Iturbide's native Mexico with the artist's own deeply personal, and oftentimes Surrealistic, vision. Iturbide's work mixes history, lyricism and portraiture, boldly calling to mind Mexico's photographic master, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, with whom she apprenticed in the 1970s. Iturbide was born in 1942. She continues to live and work in Mexico.