Above all, Nereo López is a traveling photographer. Chronicler and cartographer all in one, he has developed a hybrid genre halfway between visual poetry and photo-essay. His work helped to open the eyes of the urban population, bringing to their attention the life that brewed in the valleys, the mountainside of the Andes, and the Caribbean coastline.
López is influenced by the experience of Cartier-Bresson, Irving Penn, Robert Capa, Walker Evans and other artists who belong to the golden age of photo reportage. His vision com- bines objectivity, a touch of humor, the quest for non-western places and people, and an aestheticizing taste. The legacy from masters such as Álvarez Bravo can be seen in his committed view and in his interest for dignifying people.
Nereo López (Colombia, 1920) started working as a photographer in 1952, and in that same decade he traveled all around Colombia to capture the country’s geography. He settled in Bogotá in 1957, working as the photo editor of the magazine Cromos. In 1959 he got involved with the Brazilian magazine, O Cruzeiro, where he was able to consolidate his photographic vision.
