James Sparshatt Art

On a musical and pleasure seeking pilgrimage… during Las Romerias de Mayo festival in Holguín. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as young adults. They have a strength of character and underlying humour that transcends the struggle that has defined their lives. James Sparshatt went to Cuba in 1999 and was so taken with the island and its people that he returned 15 times in the following 7 years. His images are largely of the music and dance and innate rhythm of the island but he also found himself drawn to an older generation that had been old enough to understand the revolution in 1959, that lived through 40 years of tumultuous and often difficult times and who now watch with some bemusement the return of the outside world in wave upon wave of tourists. James Sparshatt’s photographs of the “Revolutionary” generation of Cubans capture their grit and indominatable spirit. The black and white portrait photograph...

Los Tangueros An intimate tango dance in the early hours of the morning James Sparshatt captures this intimate moment of dance, exuding an aura of timeless romance. The couple are...

Jacquelina was photographed in the early hours in a milonga tango club in Buenos Aires. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people ...

Dagoberto began playing his guitar in the Casa de la Trova in Holguin, Cuba, in 1944. Sixty years later in 2004 I had the pleasure to sit with him in the same bar on a day to celebra...

Puro is Cuban slang for a cigar… alegria is Spanish for happiness… for Graciela both always seemed essential to her being. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generati...

Te veo… I see you. Matanzas 2005. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as young adults. They have a strength ...

A woman of vigour and spirit and humour, full of stories, sat on her rocking chair, smoking a cigar, commenting on the world with a word or stream of invective. The Spirit of the Re...

Flamenco dancers use facial expressions, hand movements and gestures to convey emotions. Their dress is dramatic and enhances these movements often with the sweep and swirl of the flamenco shawl...

Les Vacances I The west coast of France is a place to eat delectable oysters, drink fine wines and walk along endless beaches in the glare of the summer sun. The Atlantic swell and ...

Dancing to the rhythm of the Gods in Santiago de Cuba… Ochun reborn… James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the rhythm ...

A girl at one with the rhythm of her guitar in Holguín, Cuba. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the rhythm of the...

Esperanza, the hope of youth for a better future. Holguín, Cuba 2002. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the rhythm...

A man of gentlemany demeanour, content with his cigar. A sentinel watching the world pass amidst the endless sugar cane country of central Cuba. The Spirit of the Revolution serie...

Corazon y Alma - Heart and soul – lost in each others arms on a tango floor in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This evocative black-and-white photograph captures an intimate moment between...

Christmas day on Santa Maria beach on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the rhythm ...

A photograph of Mario locked in a harmonious embrace with his trumpet… a moment of magic in a jazz club in New Orleans. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the ...

The old country girl from the Escambray mountains. I was hiking in the mountains, close to Trinidad, when I met the family. They invited me in and we chatted about our different live...

El Paso is an evocative black-and-white photograph that captures the dynamic motion of dancers, focusing on their feet elegantly entwined. The photograph features a blurred effect th...

A moment of calm amongst busy patterns and fabrics. Resting before it all comes to life. The Carnaval of Olinda, on the north east coast of Brazil, is a week of high energy and exub...

A moment of self-reflection in the School of Spanish Dance in the Gran Teatro of Havana. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people...

The sculpted bodies of two dancers during a rehearsal in Santiago de Cuba… James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people. The work is...

It was the last day of the Romerias de Mayo… an amazing annual gathering of the cream of Cuba’s young musical talent in Holguín. The musicians hugged and said fond farewells… those bound for Santiago de Cuba climbed on an old school bus...

Las Memorias… sitting on a rocking chair in Viñales watching the sunset and thinking of life. The wife of a tobacco farmer, a strong woman of generosity and humour lost in thought w...

Black and white portrait of a Cuban musician called Dagoberto. Dagoberto began playing his guitar in the Casa de la Trova in Holguin, Cuba, in 1944. Sixty years later in 2004 I had ...

Just after dawn on the Henderson swamp in Louisiana, with only alligators and storks for company, the hanging moss and primeval cypress trees in calm magnificence. James Sparshatt’s...

A frozen morning in the highlands of Scotland and the sun battles to emerge from the mists. James Sparshatt’s black and white landscapes have an ethereal beauty. They are moments w...

Graciela was for many years an institution in Old Havana. Always dressed beautifully, a cigar clamped between her teeth, a grin at the ready. A witness to the Cuban revolution and 50...

A lady of pure joy… dancing in the Plaza de la Revolucion on May 1st. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as...

Southern Belle 2023 Dancers in Reds bar in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in the early hours. The juke joint as a place to dance, rough around the edges, a place where anything goes, whe...

Las Memorias… sitting on a rocking chair in Viñales watching the sunset and thinking of life. The wife of a tobacco farmer, a strong woman of generosity and humour lost in thought while enjoying a hand-rolled Puro and a glass of rum. Cuba 2019 James Sparshatt‘s black and white portraits are a search for a connection with a world of emotions. His photographs from the streets of Havana, the milongas of Buenos Aires, the jazz clubs of New Orleans and bars of Andalucia capture the spirit of music in populations wher it is the very lifeblood and expression of life. Matt print direct on to aluminium Edition of 12 Dark wood tray...

A fleeting touch of the lips on a tango dance floor James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the rhythm of the moment. The...

Puro is Cuban slang for a cigar… alegria is Spanish for happiness… for Graciela both always seemed essential to her being. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generati...

Portrait of Elvirio el Dandy. An icon of Old Havana at the turn of the century. His custom of wearing finery has spawned a whole generation of young “Dandies” who hang out on Havan...

A set of three framed silver gelatin prints by James Sparshatt. These black and white portraits of cigar smokers in Havana, Cuba, were taken at the turn of the 21st Century. Each...

A tobacco farmer from the Viñales valley in Cuba. In 1959 residents of Cuba were faced with a stark choice: stay on their island home and live as a “revolutionary” or leave. Some believed wholeheartedly in the new beginning, some were willing to be carried along and some abandoned everything they had and chose exile. The Buena Vista social club...

The Atlantic Ocean stretching out from Dingle. In Irish folklore Brasil was believed to be a phantom island lost in mists that appeared once every seven years but could never be reac...

It was almost 3am and we were still waiting for the band to start to play. I stood on the open air stage buffeted by the winds as the group and their roadies struggled to set up. Th...

Andalucian flamenco is emotionally raw, plaintive and passionate. These three images capture the raw energy and inner turmoil of the music. A palmera summons the Duende through the...

This striking black-and-white photograph of a Bluesman on Beale street in Memphis, Tennessee, captures the essence of timelessness and passion in music. The musician is seated on a w...

On a musical and pleasure seeking pilgrimage… during Las Romerias de Mayo festival in Holguín. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dr...

A moment of joy on the dance floor at the Festival Acadiens et Creoles in 2019 in Lafayette, Louisiana. A senior Southern Gentleman combines strength and tenderness to give his danc...

A man of gentlemany demeanour, content with his cigar. A sentinel watching the world pass amidst the endless sugar cane country of central Cuba. The Spirit of the Revolution serie...

An image of adoration and worship. Holguín, Cuba during a festival of dance. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the...

Music in Havana is an almost ever present backdrop to life… wandering the streets it is almost as though there is a soundtrack playing to the movie of your life. These school kids we...

The drums that provide the driving beat underpinning Cuban music were brought from Africa. Each distinct rhythm corresponded to a different God in the pantheon of Yoruba deities, all...

The forest awakens in spring. New leaves uncurl as morning light brings forth new growth. James Sparshatt’s black and white landscapes have an ethereal beauty. They are moments wh...

Flamenco is an expression of life’s emotions… of love, anger, sorrow and joy. Of passion and all the things that it drives us to. Andalusian flamenco was born in the Gitano or Gyps...

Puro is Cuban slang for a cigar… alegria is Spanish for happiness… for Graciela both always seemed essential to her being. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generati...

Les Vacances II The west coast of France is a place to eat delectable oysters, drink fine wines and walk along endless beaches in the glare of the summer sun. The Atlantic swell and...

Aodh is a god of the underworld and prince of the Daoine Sidhe in Irish mythology. The crashing waves in this cave made its legend as a gateway to the realm of the Gods entirely u...

A moment of joy on the dance floor at the Festival Acadiens et Creoles in 2019 in Lafayette, Louisiana. A joyous connection! Lafayette Louisiana, USA 2019 James Sparshatt‘s black and white portraits are a search for a connection with a world of emotions. His photographs from the streets of Havana, the milongas of Buenos Aires, the jazz clubs of New Orleans and bars of Andalucia capture the spirit of music in populations wher it is the very lifeblood and expression of life. Matt print direct on to aluminium Edition of 12 Dark wood tray...

Fuerza y Poder – Strength and Power. The Raphael Trejo gym is an institution of Old Havana. An open air gym that has produced world beating champions from bare-footed initiates. I...

Music in Havana is an almost ever present backdrop to life… wandering the streets it is almost as though there is a soundtrack playing to the movie of your life. These school kids...

A black and white photograph of a Bluesman lost in the rhythm of his electric guitar on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee by James Sparshatt Beale Street is a mecca for lovers of t...

Sonhos silenciosas 2023 Silent dreams. A young performer during the Night of the Silent Drums. The Carnaval of Olinda, on the north east coast of Brazil, is a week of high energy and exuberance. Dancers and musicians perform in Blocos that progress slowly through the streets of the beautiful colonial era town. Olinda Pernambuco Brazil James Sparshatt‘s black and white portraits are a search for a connection with a world of emotions. His photographs from the streets of Havana, the milongas of Buenos Aires, the jazz clubs of New Orleans and bars of Andalucia capture the spirit of music in populations wher it is the very lifeblood and expression of life. Matt print direct on to aluminium Edition of 12 Dark wood tray...

There is a something about being a child on the beach where the sheer exuberance of running into the waves transcends the normal social barriers, and the shared exhilarance allows fo...

A palmera summons the Duende through the force of her percussive clapping. In harmony with the tacones of the flamenco dancer and the harsh lament of the vocalist. James Sparshatt’...

Havana Café. El Escabeche is a bar about halfway along called Obispo in old Havana. It was late afternoon when the band began to play. Their new lead singer was performing for the fi...

A lady of pure joy… dancing in the Plaza de la Revolucion on May 1st. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as...

Saudade Lost in the moment. Saudade is an emotional state of profound longing for a beloved yet absent something or someone. The Carnaval of Olinda, on the north east coast of Bra...