Sapiens Verbum Photography

A close, macro-style portrait of the bronze bust honoring Diego Fernando Montanes Alvarez in one of Cadiz's parks. Decades of oxidation have turned the metal a deep sea-green, and a shallow depth of field melts the park behind him into soft color, so all the weight of the frame sits in his weathered, downturned face. Quick facts Photographer: Sapiens Verbum (Pablo Avanzini) Subject: Bronze bust of Diego Fernando Montanes Alvarez Location: Cadiz, Spain Medium: Photograph, shallow depth of field Series: Cadiz Photowalks Diego Fernando Montanes Alvarez Statue, Cadiz Spain. Photograph by Sapiens Verbum (Pablo Avanzini). Montanes Alvarez was born in Cadiz on 12 March 1795 and, on his death on 25 January 1874, left his fortune and house to the city. His bequest helped bring drinking water to Cadiz, funded harbor improvements and the promotion of agriculture and industry, established a pawnshop for the poor, and included a direct gift of two hundred thousand reales to the...

A weathered bronze bust catches the last warm light of a Cadiz evening, its green patina softened by a shallow depth of field that dissolves the street lamp and building facade behind it into a wash of color. This close, quiet portrait honors a name few visitors expect to find watching over a Spanish plaza. Quick facts Photographer: Sapiens Verbum (Pablo Avanzini) Subject: Bronze bust of Francisco de Miranda Location: Cadiz, Spain Medium: Photograph, shallow depth of field Series: Cadiz Photowalks Francisco de Miranda Statue, Cadiz Spain. Photograph by Sapiens Verbum (Pablo Avanzini). Born in Caracas in 1750, Francisco de Miranda spent much of his life abroad, fighting in the American Revolutionary War, serving as a general in Revolutionary France, and eventually returning to lead the first, short-lived attempt at Venezuelan independence. Betrayed and handed over to Spanish forces in 1812, he spent his final years imprisoned in Cadiz, where he died in 1816 without seei...

A weathered bronze bust of José Martí gazes into the distance, its blue-green patina catching soft garden light while the foliage behind dissolves into warm, out-of-focus color. The close framing turns a public monument into an intimate portrait, mustache and furrowed brow rendered in fine, oxidized detail. Quick facts Photographer: Sapiens Verbum (Pablo Avanzini) Subject: Bronze bust of Jose Marti Location: Cadiz, Spain Medium: Photograph, shallow depth of field Series: Cadiz Photowalks Jose Marti Statue, Cadiz Spain. Photograph by Sapiens Verbum (Pablo Avanzini). Born in Havana in 1853, Jose Marti became one of the most important figures in Latin American letters, working as a poet, essayist, journalist and revolutionary philosopher. His writing and political organizing turned him into the leading voice of Cuba's bid for independence from Spain, earning him the title "Apostle of Cuban Independence." He died in 1895, in the early fighting of the war he h...

Blue hour settles over the Eume estuary, and the hillside town of Pontedeume lights up in warm gold against the cooling sky. Seen from the heights of Cabria and Nogueirosa, the view takes in the medieval bridge, the river mouth opening toward the Atlantic, and the hills folding into darkness on either side. Quick facts Photographer: Sapiens Verbum (Pablo Avanzini) Subject: Pontedeume at blue hour, viewed from Cabria/Nogueirosa Location: Pontedeume, A Coruna, Galicia, Spain Medium: Photograph, long exposure Series: Galicia Cityscapes Pontedeume From Cabria Nogueirosa, Galicia Spain. Photograph by Sapiens Verbum (Pablo Avanzini). Pontedeume is a small municipality in the province of A Coruna, founded by royal charter of Alfonso X the Wise in 1270 at the point where the Eume river meets the sea. Its long stone bridge, rebuilt many times since the Middle Ages, has always been the town's defining feature, and from this elevated vantage point it becomes the bright, refle...

The last light of day pours over La Caleta, Cadiz's smallest and most storied beach, gilding the water and the weathered rock as the tide draws back. Tucked between two castles in the heart of the old city, it is a shoreline that has been photographed, painted and sung about for generations. Quick facts Photographer: Sapiens Verbum (Pablo Avanzini) Subject: La Caleta beach at sunset Location: Cadiz, Spain Medium: Photograph, long exposure Series: Cadiz Seascapes La Caleta Beach, Cadiz Spain. Photograph by Sapiens Verbum (Pablo Avanzini). A natural harbor once used by Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman ships, La Caleta sits between the castles of San Sebastian and Santa Catalina in Cadiz's old town. Its setting has inspired composers and poets from Isaac Albeniz to Jose Maria Peman, appeared in films including a 007 production, and remains one of the most beloved and frequently sung-about spots in the city, especially during Carnival. Own This Photo Get La C...

A ruined tower rises from a sea of autumn color, its weathered stone the last standing fragment of a medieval Galician stronghold. Shot as a wide panorama under a restless, cloud-streaked sky, the image lets the castle sit small within the landscape it once commanded. Quick facts Photographer: Sapiens Verbum (Pablo Avanzini) Subject: Ruins of Andrade's Castle in an autumn landscape Location: Galicia, Spain Medium: Photograph, panorama Series: Galicia Landscapes Panorama Of Andrade's Castle, Galicia Spain. Photograph by Sapiens Verbum (Pablo Avanzini). The castle takes its name from Fernan Perez de Andrade, a Galician knight of the 14th century known for his loyalty to Henry II of Castile and his rise to become one of the most powerful lords in the region. A patron of the Church as well as a seasoned soldier, he left behind a scattering of fortresses and monasteries across Galicia, this tower among the few surviving traces of that turbulent, feudal century. O...

Water cannons arc into the mist as the Juan Sebastian de Elcano glides into the estuary of Ferrol, her four masts and full rig of sail cutting a striking silhouette against the green, fog-wrapped hills. The shot is taken from the ramparts of an old coastal fortress, its stone arches framing the harbor welcome below. Quick facts Photographer: Sapiens Verbum (Pablo Avanzini) Subject: Tall ship Juan Sebastian de Elcano arriving at Ferrol Location: Ferrol, Galicia, Spain Medium: Photograph Series: Tall Ships Juan Sebastian Elcano Arrival To The Port Of Ferrol. Photograph by Sapiens Verbum (Pablo Avanzini). The Juan Sebastian de Elcano is a training ship of the Spanish Royal Navy, a four-masted topsail schooner with a steel hull. At 113 meters long, she ranks as the third-largest tall ship in the world, and her arrivals in home port are still treated as civic occasions, greeted here by fireboats and a crowd of small craft on the water. Own This Photo Get Juan Sebastian ...