Malaysia was Spanish-born Ignacio de Juana Aranzana's home for nearly three years. Kuala Lumpur was a great source of inspiration, but he enjoyed travelling and was soon drawn to the cultural hotspot of Georgetown. Always with a camera on his hand, Ignacio took many photos of Penang. He was a master in capturing the decisive moment and highly creative, patiently adding colours to his black and white photos in an old technique known hand-colouring. This method was first used in the 19th century to heighten the realism of photographs and later for artistic purposes.
When Ignacio over-painted his photos with watercolours and natural dyes, it was as if he wanted to tell us his own story of that special moment he had witnessed, turning reality into fantasy. It was reality immortalized in black and white, where he would depict his view of the world, adding a poetic image or different emotional qualities, "causing vibrations in the soul". The world seen through other colours.
Hand-colouring was the love of Ignacio's life and his expression travelled with him around the world, where he would photograph and paint, share his talent in many workshops and his art in many exhibitions. From his native Spain Ignacio also travelled to Kenya, lived and exhibited in Greece, Malaysia and photographed Morocco, India and Thailand and many other countries in a career that spanned over 30 years.
Unfortunately, Ignacio de Juana passed away in November 2019, but his art will remain a testament to his wonderful view of the world and the kind man he was. The Hin Bus Depot now shares his art with you, paying tribute to this wonderful artist who loved Malaysia so much.
