Chico da Silva

CHICO DA SILVA (Brazil, 1910-1985)
Untitled. 1973
Gouache on canvas (without stretcher frame).
Signed and dated.
Measurements: 49,5 x 69 cm.

Representative work of the unmistakable pictorial language of Chico da Silva, starring a fantastic fish of large format built through a complex web of lines and chromatic patterns that run through the body and fins of the animal. The composition stands out for the intensity of its palette - dominated by reds, yellows, greens and blues - and for the meticulous construction of the motif based on repeated lines that generate rhythm, vibration and a sensation of movement.

The animalistic and fantastic imaginary that characterizes the artist's production is manifested here in a hybrid creature of strong visual presence, inspired by the Amazonian fauna and developed through a rich graphic ornamentation, a distinctive feature of his style.

Chico da Silva was a Brazilian painter associated with naïf art and Brazilian artistic modernity. Self-taught, he began painting birds and animals in the fishermen's houses of Fortaleza until 1943, when he was discovered by the Swiss critic Jean-Pierre Chabloz, who launched his international career.

His work, recognizable by his depictions of fish, birds, snakes and fantastic creatures made with intense colors and pointillist patterns, was exhibited in important artistic contexts, including the Venice Biennial (1966) and the São Paulo Biennial (1967). Currently, his works are part of institutional collections such as the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, the Tate in London and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.