When you live in a house full of large, white walls, the emphasis and desire for art hits a critical point. While Ben and I hardly consider ourselves art "collectors," we do try to pick up some sort of art from each place of travel - a wonderful way to bring home a memory.
I feel fortunate that so far, we've been able to buy some interesting and very affordable art down here in Brazil - primarily from the well-known "Hippie Fair" held each Sunday in Ipanema, Rio.
From what I've seen, arte Brasil very much conveys what most people associate with the Country: vivid, colorful, almost robust with the movement of life. The Brazilian artist who best represents that description is without a doubt Beatriz Milhazes.
from Copacabana series (2004)Ms. Milhazes' work is so vibrant, it is nearly hypnotic. She creates the colorful concoctions using a special technique: she paints onto thin sheets of plastic, then gradually presses the sheets onto a canvas. The result is a very textural, layered, and, in my humble opinion, beautiful effect. More recently, she has started using candy and chocolate wrappers to create collages - Hmmmm...tasty art!
O Capira (2004)Alas, I won't be snatching up any of Milhazes' work at the Hippie Fair. Last year, her painting, O Mágico was auctioned for over 1 million dollars. Plus, she is very tedious in her production - painting no more than seven works a year. Needless to say, there is an ever-growing waiting list for her unique pieces.
The artist was asked recently about how her life changed after becoming a "million dollar woman" in the international art scene. I appreciate her straightforward answer, "I had to make some adjustments, as people don't see you in the same way. But I never changed my relationship with my work."
The artist was asked recently about how her life changed after becoming a "million dollar woman" in the international art scene. I appreciate her straightforward answer, "I had to make some adjustments, as people don't see you in the same way. But I never changed my relationship with my work."
Beatriz keeps two studios in Rio near the Jardim Botanico neighborhood, and has cited the famed city's landscape, bossa nova, and tropicalia as indespensable inspiration. She also has a soft spot for the work of Henri Matisse, which is evident in her similar use of clear and bright colors.
Panamerican (2004)
ice grape (2008)I can't even fathom owning one of her paintings, but I can tell you this - give me one of these incredibly-scaled numbers, and I need nothing more than a big white wall and a futon!
