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MENDITALK: CLIMBING IN B&W
Armand Ballart
Whilst mountaineering literature is commendable in every respect given its wide-ranging subject matter, Armand Ballart – a Catalan illustrator and climber – adds a unique touch drawn from historical memory, bringing together the finest black-and-white artistic illustrations relating to climbing.
The book presents us with a collection of 200 hand-drawn black-and-white illustrations that form the main attraction of this large-format volume, visually guiding the reader through a myriad of climbing schools and crags, where the creativity of 87 artists, all passionate about the same idea, shines through: to make something appealing that, due to its purely practical nature, might not initially seem so.
It showcases a trend that originated in Catalonia and Valencia in the late 1970s, which over time has crossed borders unintentionally whilst remaining true to the original concept. Today, we can find illustrated route descriptions in every corner of the globe where people climb; ultimately, they will surely all share the same aim—to make an adventure more visually stunning—but they will certainly lack the meaning and essence of the drawings featured in this book.
