MEMORY LANE
Documenting his adopted city of Glasgow, Oscar Marzaroli is revered as one of the most significant photographers of his time
A look at the late Oscar Marzaroli's astonishing photographs, documenting his adopted city of Glasgow
The combination of iconic architecture, remarkable social history and powerful community spirit has rendered Glasgow the perfect muse for decades’ worth of creative minds, writes Rosie Morton. But it was the late Oscar Marzaroli, an Italian-born film-maker and documentary photographer who moved to the city at the age of two, whose works have been recognised as the most comprehensive record of the Dear Green Place through the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
Marzaroli’s images, some of which were used on Scottish band Deacon Blue’s album covers, captured the city in a time of great upheaval, when smogfilled slums were bulldozed to make way for new social housing. ‘He didn’t see deprivation in the Gorbals,’ says Marie Claire Marzaroli, one of Oscar’s three daughters. ‘He thought they had everything because they had each other.
‘He made people feel completely at ease – he had a natural warmth. He was a gentle, big man who was six foot – a striking figure. For him to be unobtrusive the way he was when taking a picture was quite astonishing.’
Taking just one snap at each location, Marzaroli was always ‘waiting for the magic’ moment. His images document people’s working and personal lives with startling transparency, capturing the juxtaposed feelings of hope and trepidation that reverberated throughout his adopted city.
“Marzaroli was always waiting for the magic