Friday, October 26, 2012

El Parque Japonés

In the next couple of weeks I will be taking pictures of two Russian women (separately). I have indicated to them that a good place to start for photographs is with nostalgia.

Nostalgia does not have to be obvious as long as the person being photographed understands and contributes. If nobody else gets it, it is not important.


Consider this photograph of the very Argentine Linda Lorenzo that I call El Parque Japonés. There is a vague Japanese motif to the photograph. And that’s it. How could I have nostalgia for a country I have never been to?

As a very little boy, five or six I was taken to an amusement park not far from the main train terminal station of Retiro. There is a big tower next to it that we call La Torre de Los Ingleses. The amusement park is long gone and it has been replaced by an uppity neighbourhood with luxury hotels. The old Parque Japonés was replaced by Ital Park (perhaps the Japanese in WWII were scarier enemies than the Italians who made a large part of the 19th and 20th century immigration to Argentina.

I could never enjoy the rides because I became dizzy in swings, cars, streetcars and anything else that moved. I did not outgrow this until I was in my late 20s.

When I took the picture of Lorenzo as an Argentine geisha I was evoking my childhood and of being taken by my parents to a place where I had ice cream but looked longingly at rides I could never try.


Nostalgia is always a good reason for the excuse of taking pictures of beautiful women not wearing much.













Garufa

Tango 1927
Música: Juan Antonio Collazo
Letra: Víctor Soliño / Roberto Fontaina

Del barrio La Mondiola sos el más rana
y te llaman Garufa por lo bacán;
tenés más pretensiones que bataclana
que hubiera hecho suceso con un gotán.

Durante la semana, meta laburo,
y el sábado a la noche sos un doctor:
te encajás las polainas y el cuello duro
y te venís p'al centro de rompedor.

Garufa,
¡pucha que sos divertido!
Garufa,
ya sos un caso perdido;
tu vieja
dice que sos un bandido
porque supo que te vieron
la otra noche
en el Parque Japonés.

Caés a la milonga en cuanto empieza
y sos para las minas el vareador;
sos capaz de bailarte la Marsellesa,
la Marcha a Garibaldi y El Trovador.
Con un café con leche y una ensaimada
rematás esa noche de bacanal
y al volver a tu casa, de madrugada,
decís: "Yo soy un rana fenomenal".

Garufa Julio Sosa