Incandescent Rocks
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Incandescent Rocks

Volcán Irazúca. 1964Francisco Coto

© Francisco Coto Archive

More about this photograph
Historical note
Taken very close to the active crater of Irazú Volcano, this photograph uses a long exposure to record the trajectories of incandescent rocks ejected during the eruption, creating what Francisco Coto called his “drawings.” The nearly abstract image was one of his favorite photographs. Coto recalled the fear he felt as the ground moved beneath him while making these long exposures, and recounted that when he returned the following day to the spot where he had photographed at night, he found a rock weighing approximately one ton. During the 1963–1965 eruptions, visitors were able to venture surprisingly close to the active crater. In 1964, explosions caught people near the crater by surprise, resulting in several deaths and numerous injuries.
Keywords
abstractionminimalismpatternlong exposuredynamismmonumentality

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