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Novo Amigo Velho / New Old Friend

É uma surpresa ver arte da qualidade. Um choque de reconhecimento. É com conhecer alguém que você não sabia que conhecia. Faz-nos sorrir e ao mesmo tempo exige toda a nossa atenção para descobrir qual parte reconhecemos.

As pinturas de Afonso Rocha tiveram esse efeito em mim. Saí do metro em Maia e, em vez de virar à direita para o trabalho, fui em frente, para o Fórum.

O Fórum Maia está a acolher a Bienal da Maia e se entra pelo lado poente as pinturas do Rocha são uma das primeiras coisas que vê. Uma recepção alegre. 

Estas pinturas de Rocha são todas óleo sobre tela. Mostram arbustos, relva, árvores, céu; temas familiares na tradição da pintura de paisagem e feita com poder e presença. A tinta parece em movimento, apressando pela tela. Ou é que a folhagem o está a fazer? Há zonas não pintadas onde vê-se a tela em bruto. As pinceladas fortes lembram as sombras das nuvens que se movem na superfície do trigo: o trigo oscila e as sombras passam através dessa superfície oscilante. 

Estas pinturas não têm de partilhar espaço com obras de outros artistas; têm o seu espaço próprio. Estão frente a frente em diálogo, árvores frente a árvores. O rebordo verde vivo nas paredes por detrás dos quadros é menos útil. A cor do rebordo não tem os tons subtis do verde das pinturas.

Quando deixei as pinturas de Rocha e fui ao trabalho, ainda sorria deste encontro feliz com um novo amigo velho. 

Uma pintura que mostra arvores, relva e flores

It’s a surprise to see good art. A jolt of recognition. Like meeting someone you didn’t know you knew. It makes you smile and it calls for your full attention. You want to look at all of it at once to see the details, and the overall effect, and to find out which part called out to you. 

Afonso Rocha's paintings had this effect on me. I got off the metro in Maia and instead of turning right towards my place of work I went straight ahead, into Forum Maia.

Forum Maia is hosting the Maia Biennial and if you enter the building on the west side Rocha's paintings are one of the first things that you meet. A bright welcome. 

The paintings are all oil on canvas. They show bushes, grass, trees, sky, shadows; familiar subjects in the tradition of landscape painting, rendered with power and presence and life. The paint seems to be in motion, hurrying across the canvas. Or is the foliage that's in motion? Unprimed canvas shows in patches. The strong brush strokes recall the way that cloud shadows move over the surface of wheat: the wheat sways and the shadows pass across that swaying surface. 

The paintings don't have to share their space with works by other artists; they have a space to themselves. They face each in dialogue, trees facing trees. The vivid green border on the walls behind the paintings is less helpful. The colour lacks the subtle tones of the green in the paintings.

As I left Rocha's paintings and went to work, I was still smiling at this happy encounter with a new old friend. 

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Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 8, 2023 at 9:34 AM

    What a wonderful read. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 8, 2023 at 10:05 AM

    Thanks for reading it. And thanks for leaving a message.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 8, 2023 at 9:37 PM

    Que descrição bonita sobre as pinturas de Afonso Rocha.

    ReplyDelete

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