Manuel Caeiro | UPSIDE DOWN
Manuel Caeiro | UPSIDE DOWN
Manuel Caeiro | UPSIDE DOWN
Manuel Caeiro | Upside Down
Manuel Caeiro
From Aug 20 to Sep 17 2010
"The painting is an example of trompe-l?oeil itself," says Manuel Caeiro, who walks around town absorbing everything he sees. In his second residency in Rio de Janeiro, the artist says he understands the city with a greater intensity. This can be seen in their his news works, with more nuances of hues and light, and where the perspective works differently than in previous works. "It's all about the process of how I lived the city, the traces in my memory, and the work itself: stress and rest, blight against backlight."
The name of the exhibition has to do with the fact that the canvases can be turned upside down, reversing its plan and perspective. Caeiro believes his paintings can be seen as abstract or figurative, but this "middle ground " pleases him. "The works suggest a figurative space, but when you understand it, it is at an abstract level. These exercises that simulate the square eventually accumulate on a plane next to us," he explains.
He creates the painting directly on linen canvases, and only uses a notebook to jot down his ideas. The canvas is attached directly to the wall and only framed when ready. "It?s a pure mental process, in which ideas emerge and are held through intuition. I like to think about what I no longer remember, that?s when intuition comes into sight. Intuition is the highest degree of purity of my soul; it?s what gives space for others to think about the work. I like to believe that people will realise the work from their own intuition, that they?ll think whatever they want to", he says.
Caeiro follows a constructivist principle, which investigates the relationship between drawing, painting and architecture. The extremely realistic structures float on the white background of the canvas where the grimes of the painting process are clear, such as lines for composition study, paint spills, and traces of solvent. The paintings are inspired by constructions that the artist sees in the streets. "My idea is to make a contrast between reality and abstraction," he explains. "I bring elements of everyday life to the screen, transforming something that apparently has no value in a noble plastic reality."