Pedro and I have known each other some years ago. It was at the “Art and Jobs School”, now known as Art School José Nogué. And photography wasn’t precisely the speciality with which he started to do his works at this School, but practice with metal. Already with this he proved his search for the well-made work, without taking time into account, to him it was fundamental the satisfaction of the good final result. Well, he has adopted the same worry in his passion for photography, complex artistic expression and in which he can be considered a master.

Seizing this opportunity, I think it necessary to do a short personal profile of Pedro Aceituno, by saying that he’s a humble person; he doesn’t usually take his work seriously. He’s sensitive, a fundamental quality to carry out an artistic activity. Unselfish as nobody else is and available for any friend who looks for him, sacrificing his interests not only personal, but also, his wife Magdalena’s (whom he’s also involving in the business of photography) whom I’m honoured to be a friend of. It’s clear that in my opinion, he’s a kind person.

But what brings me to these lines is the artist’s vocation, the obsession with the camera and the necessity of exhibiting his work (they say that the unseen work is a work that doesn’t exist) and that’s why there is the display that we can contemplate and enjoy to our delight these days at this exhibition hall.

The works shown here, apart from their proved technical quality, are works that return us to the past. The importance of details it’s fundamental to the artist, managing to immortalize an image, he gives his works the total consistency for that moment, that detail which is trivial for the majority of observers, Pedro manages to converts the insubstantial into feeling. He easily transports us to memories of sensitive, affectionate and solidarity images and sometimes he makes us remember reality, which is happy but sometimes hard, as an artist, trying to say us what he needs, what is before and after the photograph. This is the other Pedro’s necessity as for photography, communicating with people through his art, the language that he knows the best.

But there’s something more about this man to be remembered. We mustn’t think that the photograph comes out by itself, as it usually happens to the layperson. As I said before, he’s an expert in this black-and-white technique, and he tries to achieve image’s perfection. It’s true that he must be the owner of inborn characteristics to carry out a work, and have a vocation as well. He takes many photographs; he develops them once and again. Many hours of work. He travels where he has to looking for something, sometimes it shows up and sometimes it doesn’t, but the most important thing to him is the approval, the joy of finding the fulfilling photo.

Well then, on this display that we contemplate, each and every work has passed through that filter, and to me, without the slightest doubt he has achieved a wonderful work. My sincerest congratulation and thank you for delighting us with this exhibition, friend Pedro.

Luis Cárdenas Castillo

Text from the diptych for the exhibition from the 10th to the 29th of November 2003. Exhibition hall of the Caja General de Ahorros de Granada.

Paseo de la Estación, 6. Jaén.