25 november 2022, Flor Linckens
Paulo Monteiro: Painting as Choreography
Until 17 December, a solo exhibition by Paulo Monteiro will be on show in the Borgerhout space of Zeno X Gallery in Antwerp.
When Paulo Monteiro graduated from art school in São Paulo in 1980, Brazil was a military dictatorship. In 1964 the US feared a communist takeover of the country under President João Goulart and the government therefore helped the Brazilian army with a military coup. In 1985, the regime came to an end, which, like so many other dictatorships, was characterised by torture and censorship. The country's re-democratization sparked a wave of optimism, followed by a new constitution that guaranteed progress in terms of social, political and civil rights. Elections were held for the first time a year later and the country made great progress. Problems relating to inflation, the national debt, the economy as a whole, poverty, education and healthcare were thoroughly addressed. Until about 2010, there was a boom in various areas.
In 1977, when Paulo Monteiro was sixteen years old, he started making cartoons, inspired by American cartoonists such as Robert Crumb and George McManus. After completing his studies, he worked in Sérgio Fingermann's engraving studio for a while, but he was unsure about the artistic medium that suited him best. A visit to the 1981 São Paulo Biennale would be decisive: he was deeply impressed by the work of the Canadian-American painter Philip Guston and decided to start painting himself. In 1982 he co-founded Casa 7, an artist collective that offered an alternative to the ubiquitous (Neo-)Concrete art that defined the Brazilian (and South American) art world at the time. This movement was marked by formal, rigid and geometric constructions. Casa 7 instead opted for a more (Neo-)expressive, organic direction with a renewed energy, inspired by the work of European and American Neo-expressionist painters. The name of the collective referred to the building they shared until 1985, which served as a studio and exhibition space. In 1985, the group was invited to show their work at the São Paulo Biennale, after which their work became known throughout Brazil. The collective also exhibited their work at the São Paulo Contemporary Art Museum and the Rio de Janeiro Modern Art Museum, among others. In 1985, the members decide to go their separate ways and Monteiro begins experimenting with making sculptures, playing with notions of gravity.
Monteiro's work is marked by lines, intimate and round shapes, elegant and flowing movements, an apparent simplicity and a certain dynamism, reduced to a certain essence. His work is undoubtedly enhanced by the fact that the artist has been practicing classical ballet for many years. He follows the famous Cecchetti method, which has five pillars: elasticity, strength, musicality, mastery & understanding and artistry. In this system, ballet dancers are regarded as artists with a cultivated artistic sensibility. The system is marked by a certain intuition and muscle memory, which is developed through years of study. This mirrors how Monteiro works within his artistic practice: intuitively, with some predetermined rules in the background, like a choreography. In the exhibition at Zeno X Gallery you will not only see his paintings, but also several sculptures and works on paper.
In 2014, the MoMA in New York purchased a large number of works by the artist. His works are also part of the collections of the X Museum in Beijing, the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro, the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo and the Biblioteca Nacional of Rio de Janeiro, among others.
