Internationally recognized Brazilian artist Antonio Veronese currently lives and works in France. Born in Brotas, at an early age he was obsessed with drawing faces, often faces of the poor and disenfranchised. Veronese has continued painting faces, exhibiting in many museums, appearing in multiple public and private collections.He paints faces otherwise unseen.
Untitled Number 3
Untitled Number 3
The painter remarks: "The image of a hedonistic Rio de Janeiro, all samba and soccer, has become a cliche and our intellectuals have become our worst natural disaster. Armored cars have become a status symbol, but a society that suffers from fear every day is in defeat. But the face, the face is inexhaustible, it expresses such a variety of emotions. "
Threatened with death because his artwork exposed entrenched official violence, Veronese escaped to France where he has shown in more than 30 art exhibitions. He still keeps tabs on the the pulse of juvenile justice in his home country of Brazil, suggesting Rio de Janeiro look in the mirror, "because shame is a good start!"
As they currently appear at the gallery
I framed Veronese's works in black/gold frames to bring out the rich oils used by the artist. The oil on paper portraits are matted with gold fillets and white linen mats. See more of Antonio Veronese's portraits here.
Veronese's comments about Rio de Janeiro ring true. When I visited during Carnivale, there was little hint of the grinding poverty, just fun and games. I hope that a rejuvenated effort with the 2016 Olympics is shared with the community.
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Does anyone know Antonio Veronese?
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