Exhibitions

Orazio Gentileschi (1563- 1639)

Lot and His Daughters, c. 1628

Oil on canvas

69/101

This painting depicts the biblical landscape where Lot and his daughters have fled from Sodom. Through the opening in the cave where they have taken refuge, you can glimpse the city in flames on the right side of the composition and the tiny figure of the patriarch’s wife, who has been turned into a pillar of salt because she disobeyed God’s order not to look back. Fearful of being the only survivors on earth, the women get their father drunk in order to be impregnated by him. He is now sleeping after the act. Gentileschi was a prominent follower of Caravaggio, although he evolved towards brighter colours. He painted this work in London, where he spent his last years in the service of Charles I of England.

Francisco Gutiérrez Cabello (c. 1616-c. 1670)

Architectural Caprice with Moses Saved from the Water, c. 1653-1655

Oil on canvas

95/205

According to Exodus, Pharaoh ordered all first-born Jewish sons to be executed in order to control the Hebrew population, but in an attempt to save him, Moses’s mother left him in a basket at the mercy of the Nile River current. This painting captures the moment when Pharaoh’s daughter finds and rescues him to raise him as her own. The painter draws from this passage—although the core motif is almost imperceptible in the painting—and creates a grandiose scene featuring fantastical architecture inspired by the Flemish tradition with Gothic touches. One of the most unique painters in Madrid in the seventeenth century, Gutiérrez Cabello stood out for his production of architectural capriccios, a genre that attracted him a huge clientele.

Domenico Piola (1628-1703)

Job and His Children, c. 1650

Oil on canvas

69/196

The bodies lying amidst the rubble belong to the children of Job, who died after their home was destroyed by a powerful gale sent by Satan. This is the second of the seven trials that Job was subject to in order to test his unwavering faith in God. The prophet appears as a mute witness to the chaos, expressed through diagonal lines, a busy composition and a skilful use of light. A prominent painter in the second half of the seventeenth century, Domenico Piola shifted from a spectacular Baroque style to a more serene, refined conception. He was the first generation of the Casa Piola, which dominated Genovese art until the nineteenth century.

Mari Puri Herrero (1942)

Jacob's Dream, 1982

Watercolor on paper

© Mari Puri Herrero, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2025

16/1102

After a confrontation with his brother Esau, the biblical patriarch Jacob fled to the desert, where he slept, exhausted, with a stone as his pillow. In his dream, he saw a ladder ascending into heaven with angels ascending and descending, while God promised him that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust on earth. In the Christian interpretation, the ladder symbolises Jesus Christ as the connection between heaven and earth because he is the son of both God and man. Mari Puri Herrero recreates this scene with watercolour, giving it the dreamlike atmosphere that is the hallmark of her work. This Bilbao artist, who has had a lengthy career, was given the Gure Artea award by the Basque Government in 2022.

Anonymous, Catalan. Last third of the 13th century

Noah's Ark

69/256

Rendered in flat colours and schematic, rhythmic drawing, this painting represents the time when the waters of the Universal Flood began to recede. Noah and his family, visible through the windows of the Ark, are getting ready to abandon their refuge after receiving the dove with the olive branch. The disproportionate scale of the bird helped believers identify the precise moment in the story. From Santa María church in Pessonada (Lleida), this work is made of several pieces of wood bound together horizontally. It must have been part of a baldachin along with another painting of Christ crucified, also in the museum’s collection..

Lucas Cranach “the Elder” (1472- 1553)

Lucretia, 1534

Oil on walnut panel

12/79

The beautiful Lucrecia came from an illustrious ancient Roman family. She was raped by the son of King Lucius, Sextus Tarquinius, who also threatened her if she reported him. Clutched by shame, she committed suicide in front of her husband and father. The event fanned the flames of the notable citizens’ discontent and was a major force in the establishment of the republic in Rome. As one of the first German painters to apply the Protestant ideology to art, Cranach painted several versions of the heroine. In this one, captured at the precise moment when she fatally stabs herself in the heart, she appears almost nude to underscore her beauty and defenceless.

Martin de Vos (1532-1603)

The Rape of Europa, c. 1570-1575

Oil on oak panel

69/241

Jupiter, the most powerful of the Roman gods, transformed himself into a white bull to kidnap Europa, who was playing with her girlfriends on the seashore. Martin de Vos, who was born in Antwerp and trained in Italy, omits the most dramatic and sordid elements of this story of rape. In addition to highlighting the landscape and background scenes, he focuses our attention on the female nude, shaping her with sfumato and thin glazes. The yellow tunic and red cloth add colour and movement to the composition.

Eugène Grasset (1845-1917)

Joan of Arc, Sara Bernhardt, 1890

Colour lithograph on paper

13/13

The young French peasant girl Joan of Arc led the army against the English in the Hundred Years’ War, driven by divine inspiration. After being captured, she was judged for heresy and was burned alive in 1431. Her figure was brought to the theatre by the celebrated actress Sarah Bernhardt in 1890, and Eugène Grasset designed a poster for the play combining his characteristic Art Nouveau style with a dramatic depiction of the heroine. Bernhardt embodied her character with incredible intensity. The poster captures her energy and the symbolism of her sacrifice via elegant drawing and a dynamic composition which, coupled with the typeface chosen, give it a neo-mediaeval appearance. Joan of Arc was canonised in 1920 and proclaimed the patron saint of France..

Dorothea Fisher-Nosbisch (1921-2009)

The Seven Year Itch, 1960

Offset on paper

15/63

The Seven Year itch (1955), directed by Billy Wilder, is a romantic comedy featuring Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell. A married man who has stayed alone in New York in the summertime is attracted by his new neighbour, and hilarious situations ensue. Dorothea Fischer-Nosbisch, who regularly worked with the production company Atlas Film, designed the poster for the film with a fusion of different techniques. The image was inspired by a promotional photograph of the actress in the famous white dress by William Travilla printed with the film credits in a modern typeface. The saturated colours and background resembling an abstract painting create a vibrant image with a Pop touch that stresses the sensuality of the main character and the light-hearted tone of the story.

Friedrich Rehberg (1758- 1835)

Cain, c. 1791-1795

Oil on canvas

69/200

According to the Bible, Cain was the first fratricide. He murdered his brother Abel out of jealousy, thus representing sin and divine punishment. This painting by Friedrich Rehberg reflects European classicism in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Influenced by classical statues, the figure of Cain with his weapon and the serpent at his feet occupies the centre, while the background landscape, where Abel and their parents appear, refers to neoclassical humanism. The divine lightning symbolises primordial justice. Even though Rehberg was renowned during his day, his rejection of more novel artistic movements led him to be forgotten by posterity.

Francisco Durrio (1868- 1940)

Large Medallion with a Figure or Eve's Dream, c. 1908

Glazed ceramics

82/114

An almost flat, circular ceramic surface shows the profile of a nude female figure in bas-relief. She is sleeping in a foetal position with her arms around her knees and her head reclined, while a snake lurks by the back of her neck. It is a reinterpretation of the biblical story of Eve, although here she does not take a bite from the apple; instead, the reptile awaits a moment of vulnerability to attack her. Influenced by Gauguin, Durrio elevated pottery to the category of art. He made two other versions of this theme in bronze and polished brass.

Anonymous, Aragonese. Third quarter of the 15th century

The Temptations of Saint Anthony Abbot

Temple on walnut panel

69/37

Saint Anthony the Abbot was a Christian monk whose story blends real and legendary elements. It is known that he abandoned his worldly goods to live the life of a hermit in the desert, where he devoted himself to meditation and penitence. There he was tormented by a series of physical and psychological temptations, embodied in seductive women and diabolical monsters, symbolising human beings’ struggle against their passions and vices. The visual representation of the saint’s ability to resist the demonic attempts to corrupt his soul is an allegory of the conflict between virtue and sin.

Alberto Rementería (1953)

Annunciation, 2006

Mixed media on canvas

© Alberto Rementería, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2025

13/3

This scene harks back to the Italian Renaissance, with architectures inspired by Giotto rendered in a frontal perspective, a technique often used by fresco painters at that time. The colour is a sublimination of the Italian palette, while the plant-like decoration in the shape of a speech bubble from the comics brings a disruptive Pop touch. In this cultivated yet ironic image, the artist portrayed himself nude as the angel of the Annunciation. Rementería belonged to the second graduating class of the Fine Arts School of the Basque Country, where he taught until 2014. His work, which remained faithful to figuration, encompasses such a wide range of themes as representations of the petty bourgeoisie from his early years and kitsch reinterpretations of religious motifs.

Pere Nicolau (documented between 1390 and 1408)

Altarpiece of the Seven Joys of the Virgin Mary. Annunciation, c. 1398

Temple on walnut panel

69/182

This scene seems to capture two key moments in Christianity: the Annunciation and the Incarnation which immediately followed it. The archangel Gabriel is kneeling to tell Mary the good news; we can make out the figures of the Holy Spirit and God the Father in the background. This painting was part of an altarpiece devoted to the life of the Virgin Mary which the museum conserves almost in its entirety. It is a beautiful example of the International Gothic style, whose hallmarks are stylised forms, a minute description of details and textures and bright colours. Its author, Pere Nicolau, was active in Catalonia, Aragon and Valencia in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries.

Sofonisba Anguissola (1535-1625)

The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine, 1588

Oil on canvas

21/2

The legendary princess Catherine of Alexandria was born in around AD 290. After converting to Christianity, she refused to make sacrifices to the pagan gods and invited the emperor to a debate on the true God. He then invited the great sages, whom Catherine surpassed in intelligence. She was martyred for this on a spiked breaking wheel, an attribute with which she is usually depicted. Anguissola captures the moment when she consecrates herself to Christ in a mystical marriage. She was inspired by a Luca Cambiaso composition and added a unique sense of gentleness and intimacy. This exceptional woman painter stood out in an art scene dominated by men and was recognised by colleagues like Michelangelo and Van Dyck..

Juan José Aquerreta (1946)

Annunciation, 1979

Oil on canvas

82/212

Juan José Aquerreta appropriates traditional representations of the Annunciation of Mary by presenting two male figures: the one standing is touching a line separating them as if he were calling on or about to open a door, while the other is waiting in a pensive pose. The colour and texture are inspired by classical mural painting, and the work as a whole gives off a mystical aura of metaphysical evocation. The winner of the National Fine Arts Award in 2001, Aquerreta has devoted his works to an in-depth exploration of the human condition. His religious beliefs and reflections on suffering bring a transcendent spiritual dimension to his creations.

Pedro Orrente (1580- 1645)

The Sacrifice of Isaac, c. 1616

Oil on canvas

82/3

This scene depicts one of the complex stories from Genesis, in which an angel stops Abraham, who is about to sacrifice his son to demonstrate his submission to God’s will. The victim is ultimately a little lamb, a prefiguration of Christ. Pictorial naturalism, a hallmark of the Valencian school, stands out in the treatment of the elements of sacrifice and the lambswool. The handling of light, with stark chiaroscuro carving the boy’s body, resembles Caravaggio’s style, an influence that Orrente received during his sojourn in Venice working for the painter Leandro Bassano.

Andrés Nagel (1947)

89019, 1989

Collage on colour engraving

© Andrés Nagel / Derwald Nagel, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2025

15/34

Saint Sebastian was a soldier in the Roman Empire who was martyred for his Christian faith, a recurring theme in art history. In this reinterpretation, Andrés Nagel uses mixed media and collage to depict the saint pierced with arrow. The figure is rendered in purplish grisaille with the outlines highlighted in white, reminiscent of neon light. The figure stands out over a luminous yellow background, so the effect of chiaroscuro is the opposite to tenebrist painting. Nagel merged the religious and the erotic with a Pop style to address the complexity of the saint’s suffering.

Vicente Castelló (1580 - 1636)

Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, c. 1617

Oil on canvas

69/204

This image shows the moment when angels come to free Saint Catherine from her martyrdom ordered by the Roman emperor. Her semi-nude figure is upright in the centre, about to be mangled by a huge spiked breaking wheel. On each side are riders and men walking, surprised by the appearance of the angels, who break the instrument of torture and bring the saint laurel and flower wreaths. Everything in this painting is laden with action and drama, with an apocalyptic tinge. Castelló worked in the studio of his father-in-law, the Baroque painter Francisco Ribalta, and stood out as one of the top representatives of Valencian naturalism.

Rogelio de Egusquiza (1845-1915)

Tristan and Isolde (Death), 1910

Oil on canvas

00/9

This painting was inspired by a celebrated, impassioned opera by Richard Wagner that revives a mediaeval legend. Tristan is sent by his uncle, King Mark, to look for Isolde, who is being forced to marry the monarch. During his journey, the young people drink a potion believing it to be poison, but it is actually a love philtre, and their confusion leads to a tragic ending. In the painting, they are both lying dead in an unreal atmosphere laden with sensuality. The poppies that spring up from the earth symbolise eternal slumber. Wagner’s opera left a profound impression on Egusquiza, who began to explore different disciplines in his attraction to Wagnerian ‘total work of art’ , leading his painting towards a neo-idealist symbolism..

Nemesio Mogrobejo (1875 - 1910)

Ugolino, 1908-1909

Silver

Adquirido en 2014

14/6

Ugolino della Gherardesca, the Count of Donoratico, became the Lord of Pisa in the thirteenth century by conspiring against his own side, the Ghibellines. When the Ghibellines regained power, their leader, archbishop Ruggieri degli Ubaldini, locked up Ugolino and his descendants in Muda Tower until they all died of hunger. In the Divine Comedy, Dante suggests that before dying, the nobleman ate the flesh of his children, and he depicted Ugolino in the ninth circle of Hell—for traitors—devouring his enemy’s skull, an episode captured in this silver relief. Mogrobejo presents swirling bodies with tense anatomy in an aesthetic verging on Art Nouveau.

Abraham Mignon (1640- 1679)

Garland of Flower, c. 1675

Oil on canvas

69/223

You have to look closely at this painting to see the small snake climbing the hand of the woman at the centre. Her noble attire and the presence of the reptile and the servant enable us to identify her as Cleopatra. Mignon, an artist with a Calvinist ideology, captures this theme—perhaps on commission—instead of the religious scenes that usually appear in the centre of these garlands. The almost scientific depiction of the flowers was only possible thanks to the in-depth knowledge of botany and exceptional skill of this Dutch Golden Age painter.

Orazio Gentileschi (1563- 1639)

Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes, c. 1605- 1612

Oil on canvas

21/83

Judith, a brave Israelite widow, saves her city from being besieged by the Assyrian army by getting drunk the enemy general Holofernes. As he sleeps, she decapitates him with his own sword. The painting shows the moment when the heroine and her assistant flee with his head in a basket. This act inspires her people to defeat the invading army. This work dates from the artist’s early period and is heavily influenced by Caravaggio, hence the intense chiaroscuro which leaves Judith’s face in the shadows. It may have belonged to the artist’s daughter and fellow artist, Artemisia Gentileschi, and then went through several famous collections until it reached this museum.

Paula Scher (1948)

The Merchant of Venice, 1996

Silkscreen on paper

19/88

William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice tells the story of Antonio, a merchant, who asks Shylock for a loan to help his friend Bassanio court Portia. The usurer asks Antonio for a pound of his own flesh as a guarantee. His inability to pay Shylock back unleashes a legal conflict in which Portia, disguised as a lawyer, defeats Shylock and saves Antonio. The play reflects on fate and human decisions. This poster reveals the new aesthetic of the campaign created by its designer, Paula Scher, for the New York Shakespeare Festival, which was launched in 1994. With its thick typeface, it was inspired by the constructivism of the 1920s and 1930s and the musical trends and performativity of that period.

Suzan Pitt (1943-2019)

The Magic Flute, 1983

Silkscreen on paper

19/105

This poster for the 1983 premiere of The Magic Flute in Wiesbaden is a good reflection of the experimental style of Suzan Pitt, who uses a surrealistic approach to capture the fantastical, symbolic essence of Mozart’s opera. The design revolves around a gigantic snake pursuing Tamino, the main character, representing the challenge he must overcome. The commanding presence of the Queen of the Night is hinted at through the sombre figures that symbolise her power and mystery. The strong chiaroscuro expresses the duality between light and darkness, core concepts in the opera that allude to the conflict between good and evil. Alongside the bright colours, it also contributes to highlighting the magic of the composition.

Anselmo Guinea (1855-1906)

Romance in Arratia, 1889

Oil on canvas

82/2420

This simple, charming scene seems to be inspired by Antonio Trueba’s saccharine tales about the Basque rural world. In front of a farmhouse in Arratia Valley in Bizkaia, a girl is beating linen (to separate out the impurities) and placidly smiling at the stories a young man is telling her as he rolls a cigarette. The staircase banister separates them to keep the relationship chaste, just like the peasant idylls in Italian painting. In this transitional work prior to his sojourn in Paris, Guinea combines the Roman style with the use of chiaroscuro and solid drawing, heralding the start of his evolution towards more modern painting with fresh colours and loose brushstrokes, influenced by Adolfo Guiard.

Jesus Mari Lazkano (1960)

In Homage to Gianbologna, 1991

Acrylic on canvas stuck to panel

© Jesus Mari Lazkano, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2025

02/85

This large painting shows a view of the upper part of a building in Bilbao that houses a bank, surmounted by a copy of the Hermes that Giovanni Bologna created for the Medici family in 1574. The Greek mythological Hermes (called Mercury by the Romans), who personifies business and guile, flew on winged sandals as a messenger of the gods and was able to enter the underworld. The unrealistic colours, the stone, the trompe l’oeil inscriptions and the time shown on the clockface, which contradicts the light low on the horizon, all lead to a disconcerting image. The impeccable composition and drawing and modelling skills are the hallmarks of this prolific artist, whose spectacular views are always astonishing.

Luis Paret (1746-1799)

The Triumph of Love over War [I], 1784

Oil on canvas

18/8

Luis Paret painted this work during his exile in Bilbao. It forms a pair with another of the same shape and size, and they also share the same theme: glorification of the victory of love over war, especially conjugal love. Cupid is ready to shoot an arrow threaded with three roses, symbolising Venus, the goddess of love. In his other hand, he is holding a bouquet of flowers which is falling apart, alluding to his power of Earth. The helmet on the left may refer to Mars, the god of war, while the quiver contains Cupid’s weapons. Both paintings, which may have been part of a series, boast rich Rococo iconography that underscored the painter’s cultivation.

Julio Romero de Torres (1874-1930)

Venus of Poetry, 1913

Oil on canvas

DEP645

This painting presents the celebrated chanteuse and actress Raquel Meller personified as the goddess Venus, a symbol of love and beauty. She is courted by her future husband, the Guatemalan diplomat and writer Enrique Gómez Carrillo, who is holding a note bearing the artist’s signature. The reclining woman has a silk lace shawl, next to which she has placed a rose, the image of passion. In the dreamlike atmosphere in the background, you can glimpse the city of Córdoba, with the Puerta del Puente and the Guadalquivir River. Therefore, reality and idealism mingle in this depiction of a sensual woman that connects with folkloric Spain while also reflecting creative modernity by merging different artistic trends.

Ana Laura Aláez (1964)

Butterflies (two stills), 2004

Video on CD (7 min 59 s)

© Ana Laura Aláez, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2025

20/224

These stills come from a video that Ana Laura Aláez made in conjunction with the German musician and DJ Daniel Holc. In it, a love song that Holc wrote for her plays in the background, with a refrain that asks, ‘What will happen when we no longer feel butterflies in our stomach?’ Naked in front of a neutral background, Aláez sings the song barely audibly for spectators away from the camera in a scene that suggests both intimacy and vulnerability. This audiovisual, which is very unique in the artist’s career, has given rise to new projects, some of them sculptures.

Itziar Okariz (1965)

Variation sur la même t'aime, 1992

Digital print on RC paper

20/172

This photograph comes from a series that was pioneering Spain in which Itziar Okariz reflects on the concern about identity—especially sexual and gender identity, yet also political and cultural identity—that permeates both art and everyday life. Using her own body as artistic material and a space of ‘dissidence’, she questions social mores and conventions while also highlighting the timelessness of this reflection. By shaving her head and altering her image, Okariz underscores the constant effort to understand who we are in a world fraught with labels and stereotypes.

Isabel Baquedano (1929-2018)

Scene in Apollo's Temple in Corinth, 1980

Oil and charcoal on canvas

20/182

This view of the Temple of Apollo, whose vestiges are in Corinth, spirits us back to ancient Greece, one of Isabel Baquedano’s prime sources of inspiration. The apparently unfinished figures in the foreground are bared of any details, foreshadowing the artist’s journey towards an aesthetic she would continue to strip of stylistic and expressive resources until reaching the utmost simplification. Influences from post-cubism, informalism, the new figuration, expressionism, social realism and Pop in the Spanish context can be seen in Baquedano’s career as an artist—she was also a teacher at the Arts and Crafts School of Pamplona—always filtered through her personal style which centred around material and conceptual sobriety.

Barbara Baranowska (1934)

Possession, 1981

Offset on paper

23/223

Possession (1981), directed by Andrzej Żuławski, recounts the emotional crisis of Anna (Isabelle Adjani) in the midst of a fraught marital breakup. The plot plunges into a spiral of madness, infidelity and supernatural forces to explore themes related to obsession, despair and inner conflict. In one of the most memorable scenes, the main character is possessed by a being with tentacles, an image that the Polish designer Barbara Baranowska recreates here through the tormented mythological figure of Medusa. Baranowska is the author of iconic film posters from the 1960s and 1970s, like the version of Willy Wonka directed by Mel Stuart (1971) and Luis García Berlanga’s Grandeur Nature (1974).

April Greiman (1948)

Los Angeles Olympic Games, 1984

Offset on paper

21/251

The Olympics originated in the athletic competitions held in the Greek city of Olympia between the eighth century BC and the fourth century AD. The tradition was resumed as an international sporting event in the nineteenth century, and the first edition of the modern Olympics was held in Athens in 1896. This poster advertises the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. It was created by April Greiman, a pioneer in digital graphic design as one of the first to use computers in this field. Known for her experimental approach and innovative use of technology, her style merges typography, photography and graphics in dynamic compositions.

Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678)

Satyr Playing the Pipe (Jupiter's Childhood), c. 1639

Oil on canvas

89/48

Jacob Jordaens often depicted the mythological figure of the satyr, here in a melancholy setting. His style is distinguished by his vibrant brushstrokes and a skilled handling of contrasting light, as seen in the gloomy lighting in this painting. The lower part of the composition used to include a scene with children and a sleeping nymph, a possible allusion to Jupiter’s childhood, but it was cut off at some point. Jordaens was trained in Adam van Noort’s studio in Antwerp. After the death of Rubens—with whom he collaborated—and Van Dyck, he became the most successful painter in the Netherlands. This work dates from his most fruitful period.

Idoia Montón (1969)

Sacrifice II, 2021

Oil, acrylic and collage on linen

22/149

Idoia Montón created this work as part of her series The Sacrifice, or The Offering, inspired by her stay in Kurdistan in 2019. It combines elements from the region’s archaeological past with others from her everyday environment: views from her Barcelona studio, a convex mirror alluding to Flemish painting and a wooden stage with a geometric figure holding a sacrificed lioness. The animal refers to the Assyrian bas-relief Ashurbanipal Hunting Lions (British Museum, London) in an evocation of both destruction and ritual. Even though it retains a ceremonial atmosphere, the naturalist intensity of that scene is absent in this image.

José Echenagusía (1844- 1912)

Samson and Delilah, 1887

Oil on canvas

94/49

This large canvas painted by José Echenagusía in Italy depicts the moment when Samson reveals to Delilah the secret of his superhuman power: his long hair. Using a limited palette, this work stands out for its range of objects and fabrics, although it was criticised when it was made due to its lack of ‘biblical flavour’, overlapping with an influence from orientalism. The exoticism of ancient Egypt attracted numerous artists, who set their paintings there. Echenagusía, who was a prominent member of the Spanish colony in Rome, had an extensive career focused primarily on historical and Costumbrist themes. His legacy also includes important decorations in the Basque Country.

Alberto Schommer (1928-2015)

Egypt, 2001

Digital print on paper

© Fundación Alberto Schommer, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2025

13/109

This photograph by Alberto Schommer captures the majesty of the sphinx of Giza up close. Behind it is the pyramid, the symbol of the grandeur and mystery of ancient Egyptian civilisation, a culture that has inspired the most gripping stories..The symmetrical composition highlights the serenity of the sphinx before the monumentality of the pyramid in a visual play between the human and the architectural. The choice of black and white accentuates the shadows and textures, leading the image to take on a timeless, evocative feel. Schommer, who was renowned for his portraits and his documentary approach to his work, combines technique, emotional depth and a sober style to capture the essence of things in his photographs.