In the late 1980s Alberto García-Alix began to work with a medium format camera that allowed him to embark on a profound exploration of the portraiture genre, espeically in terms of composition. These were the keys that led him to position himself as an important photographer within the Spanish artistic scene years later. The time it took to master this new gentre, as well as the square composition of the Hasselblad camera, forced the artist to practice photography in a reflexive and unhurried way. Thus, Alberto García-Alix’s portraits became the product of a dialogue that was established between the artist and his subject, fostering “the magic of the encounter,” as noted by the photographer himself.

García-Alix’s portraits, which frequently depict people who are close to him, like his romantic partners and friends, are part of his own family album. Likewise, they allow the viewer to follow the biographies of some of the subjects. This is the case of the photographs of Elena Mar: Elena Mar en estado de Buena esperanza [Elena Mar Expecting a Child](1987) and El dolor de Elena Mar [The Pain of Elena Mar] (1992). The photographer used low contrasts to created moving photographs laden with a certain sense of melancholy and classical beauty. Attracted to a way of researching and studying others that was similar to Diane Arbus’ approach, García-Alix molded his subjects in the light of his own perception.