This series explores the relationship between culture and nature. The images are derived from observations of our connections to the natural world and are a means to visually investigate botanical wonders. The prints, most of them of solitary trees from different geographical regions, are meant to offer detailed features captioned with their scientific names. These Latin names reveal our endless attempts to make sense of and find order in the natural world. Centuries of accumulated knowledge along with recent discoveries in science demonstrate the impact our actions have on our planet’s fragile ecosystem.

Eduardo Fausti

SELECTED PORTRAITS

These are portraits of people I personally know or were acquainted with during my travels. In some cases, the circumstances behind our encounters led me to represent them in a medium that is most familiar to my visual language, mezzotint, and at the same time, the print medium first most used for portraitures.

For several years I’ve explored the human portrait. Depicting different qualities in each subject, my intent has been to show each person’s uniqueness. At the same time I am attempting an observation beyond physical likeness or identity. Rather than a literal depiction of a person, my intention is to focus on a particular psychological state, a mood, or an emotional presence that has the power to captivate. I have found in the mezzotint medium, an almost-perfect medium to document these distinct subtleties in expression. I intentionally push this medium towards either the lightest or darkest halftone ranges to further emphasize the vagaries of a person’s mood, which are often somewhat universal when carefully revealed.

In this portrait, I’m depicting the face of a woman I encountered in Myanmar. Her facial make-up is common among women (and also young men). Grinding the root of the Thanaka tree with water makes the yellowish golden paste used for the facial markings (which protects against the sun). The paste is applied to the face with a flat brush.

Eduardo Fausti