He laid the foundations for reportage photography in Spain, he anticipated Cartier Bresson when applying humanism to photography and putting into practice what would end up being known as ‘the decisive moment’ and championed the great renovation of the genre in Spain in the 1950s. «The photographer is always in doubt: what angle should be take, what diaphragm and speed to choose, what film… But you should never hesitate when shooting”, defended Francesc Català-Roca (1922-1998), born a hundred years ago today and in whose honor a packed season is inaugurated of exhibitions, which will culminate in 2024 with a great retrospective at the MNAC. Vallshis hometown, will host a sample of
self portraits, Madrid will combine iconic and lesser-known works from June, and Reus will focus on the photographer’s relationship with Salvador Dalí. On Barcelonameanwhile, ‘Los Català, photographers of a century’, a family portrait that shows how Català-Roca, son and brother of photographers, was born breathing acetates and gelatins and grew up photographically in the workshop of his father, Pere Català Pic.
As a child he began to lend a hand in the family study, discovered Man Ray and developed a vision of his own that would lead him to ‘become independent’ in 1948: he opened his own laboratory and set out to photograph life around him. “A good photograph is defined, in my opinion, by knowing how to explain a situation, a character well, very well… And explain it in such a way that it can capture the interest of whoever is to be the recipient,” Català said. -Roca, portraitist of everyday life who went from post-war to developmentalism and from documentary to architectural photography. “He has had a superior value for photography,” summarizes Ramón Masats, one of the ten photographers that ABC has brought together to remember him, coinciding with the centenary of his birth.
Alberto García-Alix: «Extraordinary creator of atmospheres»
All photographers are indebted to Català-Roca. His imprint is immense, he is a great teacher. A cornerstone of Spanish documentary photography, his images populate our imagination. He represents the transition to modernity in Spanish photography. With a super-classical photographic background, he is very modern. He manages the camera position like nobody else, always spectacular, with a very brilliant point of view. His position as photographer is excellent, he always puts himself in the right place. It is very difficult to find that place. The first big creative decision is where you position yourself with the camera. Català-Roca has very good taste, he is very precise. The quality of his photography is exceptional. He will never grow old. He leaves us the best testimony, of incalculable value, of that Spain of the 50s and 60s that has disappeared. We must also appreciate that he was a film documentary filmmaker. He is an extraordinary creator of atmospheres. The fog, the lights of the city… he handles photography with a surprising mastery. He does it in a way that seems easy, but it is not.
Chema Madoz: «A new look at Spanish photography»
One of Francesc Català-Roca’s most famous photographs is entitled ‘Corner’. In it, two figures advance through the fog towards the photographer’s camera. The street draws an angled perspective reminiscent of one of the shots of Horacio Coppola’s Buenos Aires. Català-Roca is located at the vertex of the street, at the point where the direction of the path changes its direction. A turning point that also meant a new look at Spanish photography, placing it by right in the classicist wake of European photography.
José Manuel Navia: «The simple teacher»
Català-Roca is one of the greatest exponents of professional photography in Spain. And he knows how to reconcile in an exemplary and not always frequent way the day-to-day of the trade with a personal look, so that his photographic imprint permeates all of his work. Going back through those guides to different Spanish regions from the Editorial Destino, for example, is to receive a lesson in magnificent photography, carried out without pretensions, from the humility that characterized him. The texts of great firms that accompanied him (Pla, Ridruejo, Baroja…) are a reflection of his interest in and closeness to the world of culture. And, furthermore, as a result of his somewhat peasant stint, he bequeathed us some famous phrases, such as the one that “if photography had been invented in color, no one would have missed black and white.” Word of Català-Roca.
Isabel Muñoz: «Great need to love»
For me there are two masters of photography in Spain: one is Català-Roca, who is no longer here, and the other Ramón [Masats], which we still have with us. Català-Roca has been a pillar of photography. He had a great sensitivity and a great need to love. I didn’t know him, but through the images of him you know what he must have been like. There is a lot of love and a lot of tenderness towards what he photographs. The images of him move me. It is no longer just his way of looking, nor his way of framing, nor his way of placing the camera, but what his images convey. He loved what he photographed. And when you love, others notice. He has been a great humanist, who portrays a part of that history that I have lived but is unknown to many. He does not count it from the tremendous, he brings out that dignity that we all have even in the hardest moments. It is not a matter of looking, it is telling what you look at in a special way. He was modern because of his way of telling: his frames, his high and low shots, where he placed the camera… his images are up-to-date, they don’t age. What I see is art.
Ramón Masats: «A very spontaneous photographer»
I only have words of admiration and affection. It has had superior value for photography. He is one of the best photographers, although he was even better as a person. I didn’t have time to deal with him much, but the relationship was always splendid. We coincided at a time when he was older and I was a young photographer. If I had to highlight something about Paco, it would be his spontaneity. He was a very spontaneous photographer. And good person. I wouldn’t say that he influenced me, because everyone was on his side, but my admiration for him is evident. And not just photographically. Of his work, I especially like his artist photography. He was very sensitive and had great admiration for them.
Joan Fontcuberta: “Graphic memory of great sentimental value”
It is part of post-war humanist photography, with a documentary profile. She followed her father’s photographic tradition and accommodated her time. It can be said that he was a more classic photographer. Furthermore, he was a person of very powerful humanity. For my generation he was a kind of patriarchal figure, a bridge between the photographers of the 50s and 60s, the Miserachs, Maspons, Colita and Leopoldo Pomés, and us. Also, unlike others, he was much more understanding and respectful of our work. He was more open to change. What interests me the most about his work is what he did in the 50s, those portraits of Barcelona and deep Catalonia in black and white. It is a work of great testimonial value, a graphic memory that is part of history.
Colita: “Unforgettable”
I met Català-Roca in the 1960s at the hands of Oriol Maspons, when we went to dinner at a restaurant called La Mariona, where we met various people from the world of photography, art… There was always a table where everyone came and occupied it, and among them was Francesc Català-Roca. I soon understood that he was a man with an incredible sense of humor and intelligence. I admired him as a person and as a photographer. He has been the best, without a doubt, of his generation, and for everyone. An unforgettable teacher who must always be remembered and valued absolutely and totally.
Eduardo Momeñe: «Great documentary and a powerful look»
Francesc Català-Roca was a great photographer, it is important to say this because it is not easy to be one. Many years ago (1980?) He wanted to make a portfolio about his work in ‘Photo’ magazine. I went to his house in Barcelona so he could tell me about his work. I met a very nice and humble man with his work. He did not consider himself an artist –although he was one– but a professional who gave everything to achieve a better image. He showed me –and explained– his photographs with the same affection and pride of someone who shows the photos of his newborn grandson. He was passionate about what he did. His images are that great documentary full of humanity and a powerful look in equal parts. He gave extreme importance to an effective composition –as André Kertész gave it–, that extraordinary school for those who want to photograph. It is important for young fans to get to know the greats who preceded them, as is the case with Català-Roca. A privilege to have been able to speak at length with that excellent photographer and great person that he was.
Pilar Aymerich: «Cult and humanist»
It is one of the best and most important in Catalonia and in all of Spain. As a photographer he is very complete, although sometimes he gives the feeling that he has been a bit forgotten. Few exhibitions have been made. I knew him when he was older, but he has undoubtedly been a reference to follow, especially because he was a humanistic and highly cultured photographer. He had a lot of relationship with artists of the time, although he was also a ‘freelance’, a documentary photographer who lived on commissions. It is very important, for example, his relationship and his work with Joan Miró, but also all the photographs he took in the 50’s during his travels in Spain. We must not forget that he was the son of Pere Català Pic, whose work with advertising photography was very important.
Chema Conesa: “Father of the generation that changed the profession”
It started this whole story of taking photography seriously. He was the father of the generation that renewed the language; reality was his field of work. He abhorred any elitism and the idea of feeling like an artist. I met him even before I knew who he was, because when I was a kid, 13 or 14 years old, one day a man showed up at our house in Murcia asking if he could take a picture from the balcony. I was very surprised to see that guy with a broken nose, horn-rimmed glasses and a suitcase from which he began to take out cameras and lenses. He was fascinating. I didn’t know he was Català-Roca until I saw the photo in a tourist guide. Over the years I was able to explain the anecdote to him, but he didn’t remember it. For me, the most outstanding facet of it was the documentary. The portrait he made of Spain is still valid. It’s all there. And then the light. Light is key. His mastery of chiaroscuro, for example, made him the favorite photographer of architects. Then he got a little messed up with the color.