Amadeu Federico (1904-1980), my great-grandfather, inaugurated Rex Studio in 1933 where he colorized and mounted his customers’ photographs through a proprietary, patented process; his intimate familiarity with classical painting and emerging technologies ensured a lifelong career in photography.
His own work in documenting Brazil’s rapidly changing landscapes remains unpublished. His 16mm, motion picture film was transferred to VHS in the 1990s but otherwise lost; his 35mm color slides, a medium rarely employed in South America for the shortage of international labs, have recently been restored and scanned. It is my hope to curate and publish the many hundreds of stills in honor of his artistic prowess and of his country’s history.
With the recent fire of the Cinemateca Brasileira, we face a historical emergency thanks to the continued loss of Brazilian media, fragile against the same tropical ecosystem that Amadeu sought to document and celebrate.
His own work in documenting Brazil’s rapidly changing landscapes remains unpublished. His 16mm, motion picture film was transferred to VHS in the 1990s but otherwise lost; his 35mm color slides, a medium rarely employed in South America for the shortage of international labs, have recently been restored and scanned. It is my hope to curate and publish the many hundreds of stills in honor of his artistic prowess and of his country’s history.
With the recent fire of the Cinemateca Brasileira, we face a historical emergency thanks to the continued loss of Brazilian media, fragile against the same tropical ecosystem that Amadeu sought to document and celebrate.
© 2024 Sergio De Iudicibus