En Divina Luz: The Penitente Moradas of New Mexico

New Mexico photographer Craig Varjabedian has an intimate show of his work currently on display at the historic Hacienda de los Martinez in Taos, NM.

This exhibit inter-mixes beautifully crafted black and white images with very educational material about Los Hermanos Penitentes (Penitente Brotherhood). Varjabedian's large format images of these moradas (intimate sanctuary/meeting halls) emphasize their close relationship with the natural landscape. His stunning imagery projects a reverence for the subject matter and conveys the spirituality inherent in these locations.

While many of these images show the moradas relationship with nature, for me some of his most successful images are details of the buildings. One such image, a detail of a small palm frond cross against a shuttered window and exquisitely textured adobe wall, goes a long way toward symbolizing the influence the Southwestern environment has on the Penitente's spirituality.

The beautiful quality of light in most of Varjabedian's images is a testament to his dedication of time and craft. As with all great landscape photographers, he appears to effortlessly be in the right place at the right time. Ansel Adams once quipped "Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter." Varjabedian, a student of Ansel's, appears to have learned that lesson well.

Varjabedian has photographed over 150 moradas used by Los Hermanos Penitentes in New Mexico. This exhibit is only a small selection from this body of work. A book showcasing many more of his moradas photographs, "En Divina Luz; The Penitente Moradas of New Mexico" was published by the University of New Mexico Press in 1994. It is currently out of print, but used copies are available on Amazon.com.

This exhibit will be on display through December 31st, 2008. If you have an opportunity to see this show it would be time well spent.

- Philip

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