Ilda Reis was one of the most influential artists in the art of engraving and screen printing in Portugal. The choice of organic themes and vivid colors deeply marked her work for nearly three decades. A career that despite having been recognized internationally, was never brilliant in our country due to her modest personality, as describes her daughter Violante Saramago Matos.
What do you like most of the work of your mother?
Violante Saramago Matos: I particularly like the graphic work, the engravings she envisioned. She began by painting, then chose the engraving, but from a certain point had to stop, it became difficult to continue, because the art of engraving is very hard, very physically demanding, the presses at that time were very heavy, today there are already electric machines. I still have a press of my mother that has a brutal weight, it was all made by hand, an iron plate with many pounds of weight it had to move them with the force of her arms. And my mother no longer had any power to make her own engraving and carving the plate is very demanding, so she returned to painting. But, frankly I think what is extraordinarily good in my mother's work is engraving. There are some works simply wonderful, especially in metal. There are also some pieces of wood that are very goods and in copper.
Do you think there was a recognition of the artist?
VSM: No, but my mother had a "terrible temper". She had proposals, and I will not say who, because she never wanted it to be known, from galleries, but the concept of gallery today is very different, they are more open spaces. We are talking about the 60 and 70, the galleries 'own' the artist and she never wanted this. There were two proposals, they wanted to work with her and I never understood why she never accepted. The truth is that she never did.
Maybe due to her independent nature?
VSM: I think not. My mother was a curious, independent, but above all was an extremely shy person. I think also what stopped her was a mix of two things, firstly that she was selling to an art trade, I think it was not true. And secondly, because she had the idea that if she happened to produce a lesser work of art would undermine the gallery name and I must add that she never confessed to me. It's my perception. Speaking of a time when there was this extreme bond gallery / artist, you need to see that these spaces "made" artists in a way, if they were not good of course were not known. Paula Rego, for example, had a great connection to 111 and there is no doubt that there was a great synergy between the two. But the fact that there was this duality of interests that converge in the promotion of quality works and my mother always run away from it. I think that was why she was not listed and recognized as it should.
Or was it by the fact she was a woman in the world of graphics arts?
VSM: I think not. Paula Rego is younger, but not so much younger and was the woman who was, Meneres was the woman who was and Lurdes de Castro. There were many women engraving. I am convinced that this systematic refusal is what hindered her.
There is a contradiction to some extent, since the artist wants the work to be recognized?
VSM: It is a non sense. That's why I say that this is a bit of independence, but is mostly because she was very shy. My mother was very coy, if she could run away from anything, she fled. If someone wanted to ask a question , she disappeared. Here there is something of a paradox, it's true. I think very little people know that I have a set of gold medals for the grand prize in the arts of Europe 76/78 and almost no one knows, because she never went there to receive the prizes. She was not able to go to Lile, I volunteered to go with her, said even: let's go the two of us and thus could not convince her. Once it was because she had no money, other because it had no closes, other because she did not speak French and that was all a lie, she had everything, including the language she spoke quiet fluently. This illustrates the shape of it, I think it's a shame. She had several first prizes in international competitions in countries such as Japan, Milan, Brazil and Mozambique and never left home to receive whatever. Always with the same excuse, money, clothes and could not speak. She never received in person any of the prizes.
This passion also began for the new generation of the family, your daughter, Ana is also linked to the arts through a gallery.
VSM: Passed for my two children, though manifest in different ways. Anne is more linked to the gallery, is now finishing up a master in curator of arts and has the space for six years. My son is very good at drawing, I do not know where he is going with that, but he likes to be in his corner drawing. I think Anna's passion for art has much to do because she lived a long period with my mother, she also has a particular taste for engraving and I think it had a heavy influence of my mother in this matter. She follows her path and I think its fine.
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