Bruno Barbey The walls of the old city. Chefchaouen, Morocco. 1972.
“No matter where you have come from, it is the gate that greets you. Its name is Marhaba – welcome. The moment that you arrive, its familia
(...) r shape opens up to embrace you, and you gaze upon the walls of the city, your heart missing a beat at this wondrous sight…
Look at Delacroix’s notebooks: skill notwithstanding, you could still sketch the same scenes today on the street corners of the souk. How many painters, photographers and writers that have stayed in Morocco have let themselves be carried away by its light, its substance, its colors? Perhaps the most famous among them, Matisse, admitted that the country had forced him to totally rethink his palette.
Here, it is sometimes so difficult for a photographer to do his job that he must learn to merge into the walls. Photos must either be taken swiftly, with all the attendant risks, or only after long periods of infinite patience…The memory of Morocco can only be captured with respect.”
– Bruno Barbey, My Morocco, Thames & Hudson, 2003 © Bruno Barbey | Magnum Photos
