Viejo Madrid (2026) – Artists’ books, Illustrated Albums & Zines

Second edition published in 2026. It contains eight additional illustrations and eight more pages than the 2022 edition. The book has also been enlarged from A5 to A4 and is now available in perfect bound softcover.

Synopsis

Drawings of a vanished Madrid—of people and buildings that no longer exist—which, for the author, evoke an imagined and deeply personal memory of the city during his childhood. In the 1980s, when he wandered through its streets, the last traces of Viejo Madrid could still be seen: tram tracks on the verge of disappearing beneath the asphalt, the dark coal merchants’ shops of Cava Baja nearing their final days, façades blackened by pollution that cast the streets into shadow, weathered grey walls of rough granite and traditional jabonero brick, artisanal tile kilns, slate spires, Castilian balconies, and mysterious attic rooms.

It was a stately city of elegant palaces surrounded by sinister outskirts and unhealthy slums inhabited by rag-and-bone collectors, petty criminals, and street gangs; a ring of sordid alleyways, ragged processions, and corralas where the destitute endured overcrowded lodgings rented by the day. As Pío Baroja wrote, “Madrid is a city of contrasts; brilliant light stands beside the darkest shadow.”

………………………………………………..

This edition brings together a collection of original graphite and charcoal drawings based on a wide range of historical photographs of exceptional artistic and documentary value, all united by a single subject: the city of Madrid.

Artist:
Mario Jodra

Publisher:
ElSordo Ediciones

Title of work:
Viejo Madrid

Size:
A4 horizontal format.

Sides/Pages:
40 pages in B&W.

Binding:
Perfect bound

Printed on:
HP Indigo

Language:
Spanish

Publication:
June 2026