Original photograph by Gediminas Orentas (1915-2007)
"Salt Loaders," is one of the pictures in the series Araya, documenting the hardship of life in the salt mines of the Araya Peninsula in the 1950s.
~ 19 x 25 cm.
This picture was taken between 1950 and 1959 and was printed by the author on original photographic paper Gevaert or Agfa.
Note: These are original photographs. Due to their age, some of them may present scoffs, scratches and other minor defects. Please bear this in mind before bidding.
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About the author:
Gediminas Orentas was an active photographer in Lithuania (1933–1945) and Venezuela (1950–1976)
From an early age, Orentas worked as a photo journalist for important publications in Lithuania, such as the newspaper Lietuvos Aidas. In 1937, his work was exhibited at the Paris EXPO, earning him a Gold Medal. At this time, he founded his own publishing firm, releasing thousands of postcards and various books. In 1941, Orentas joined the uprising in Kaunas against Soviet occupation, but by the end of WWII, he had to escape to Germany to avoid arrest by the NKVD. Orentas spent a few years in Augsburg as an art dealer, buying and selling old master paintings, and eventually, he decided to try his luck in a more exotic place, Venezuela.
Thanks to his experience with art, Gediminas Orentas was hired to photograph art collections of notable Venezuelan collectors. Through recommendations, he gets to do a significant number of photographic work for both governmental and private institutions, specially for the Venezuelan Oil Industry. He also became an important contributor to Revista Shell, a local publication akin to National Geographic.
Gediminas Orentas, was a documentalist who left his homeland behind, embarked on a voyage that transcended geographical borders and embraced the transformative power of photography. Through his lens, he painted vivid portraits of two distinct worlds, each imbued with its own rich history, culture, and emotions. His work invites us to reflect on our own experiences of migration, diaspora, and the universal human quest for a better life—a quest that knows no boundaries, and one that Orentas fearlessly embarked upon, leaving an enduring artistic legacy in his wake.
Today his work can be found in various museums, universities and libraries all over the world, including the Trakai Museum, the M.K. Čiurlionis House and the Mažvydas National Library. Some of his work has been sold through international auctions, and some has been reproduced in various specialized publications. Orentas worked only in 6x6 medium format using Hasselblad and Rolleiflex cameras.
Every photograph is accompained by a certificate of authenticity.
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(C) K. G. Orentas, all rights reserved.