A 1st edition, signed copy of Pentimento*

The Pentimento project is a suite of black and white prints produced from unintentionally distressed Type 55 Polaroid negatives originally made as test-shots in the Chittagong Delta of Bangladesh, where Burtynsky photographed his celebrated Shipbreaking series. Replete with the blemishes and scars of the photographic process, the images have a raw and painterly appearance and an intimate appeal. Opening his archive to the viewer by realizing in print the intermediate stage of one of his most celebrated bodies of work, Burtynsky shines an unprecedented light on the evolution of his imagery. The result is a captivating body of work that describes the ghost image lying beneath the work’s surface:

“The image under the image: pentimento. It’s a word drawn from the scholarship of painting, and it describes when the artist has painted over a section of canvas, yet traces of the earlier image persist, reemerging over time. The under-painting rises up as a ghost into the final work, revealing the process of how the painting came to be. Borrowing the word from that context, I apply it to photography, a medium redolent of time, memory and revelation.” — Edward Burtynsky.

Discover more about Pentimento in our BOOKS section.

Paperback: 56 pages

Publisher: Burtynsky Studio (2011)
Language: English
ISBN: n/a
Product Dimensions: 12 x 15 x 1.25 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 kg

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*Available to North American residents only. If you are outside of North America and are interested in purchasing this item, please contact our studio directly at [email protected]