The most beautiful in the world interpreted by Sergio Remondes are to be seen and appreciated at the Art Center of Caravel by the end of February. A unique opportunity to see and appreciate the work of this artist who chooses pictorial narratives as a means of expressing his inner journey.
Tell me a little about these women in the world.
Sérgio Remondes: It's not just because they are from different countries, the selection of exhibited works is not a mapping of women. So much so that I have works that reflect different situations in the same country.
So how did the idea for this show of "les belles du monde"?
SB: I did a painting two years ago, which set the tone for this type of picture that I did not used to do, it is a painting of a Russian friend and at the time to defend her name decided to title the work of "la belle russe". Then, I wanted to made more direct portraits, say most classic and was representing some faces. "The most beautiful in the world" almost suggests that it is a map, but it is not.
How did you choose these women? What caught your attention?
SR: Some of them were orders that have since been sold, to be able to work more for this exhibition I struggled, to join faces for this collection. The only selection that is there perhaps are best achieved portraits.
Although it should be noted in your painting the influence of modern masters, your paintings have a lot of color and vibrancy.
SR: I have very little time to do a work like these, then do them the way I like, I have to use color, the painting is more colorful as possible, because it is a personal taste. Overall, the exhibition has a lot of color, but if you look closely at one of my pictures the technique I use is a superposition of layers of paint and then use all the colors to get what I want. If your realize to compose the pink skin I have several shades notes, if it were not so the colors were dead rather than alive.
What inspires you to paint? Follow a theme, or is it through sketches of nature?
SR: I have a narrative, a story that I will tell. This exhibition is an exception, here I retired from my career and did some work to complete the collection. The aim was to show only portraits.
So what are your stories?
SR: The stories construction process is not defined by a beginning and an end, the very way helps to end the narrative, new works arise in the continuity of what has already been done. A narrative is a collection of short stories, begining in the first painting.
It is an inner journey of self-discovery?
SR: Yes, exactly.
So how you engage your creative process?
SR: For now enjoy working with collections around a theme. At this time I walk around tributes to artists, the towns they occupied and began to be associated with their presence in these urban spaces. When I start to draw gotta figure out the artist, his intellect, from there do the drawing of the person, one of these authors is Fernando Pessoa and I do a tribute to the city of Lisbon, or Marc Chagall and the city of Paris. Then the narrative begins, there is also an almost commercial thinking, make a collection that suits also helps.
Do you have a preferred means in terms of material or not?
SR: My preferred material is paper.
Why not the canvas?
SR: I paint for over 20 years, and an early stage used the canvas, but the paper is softer facilitates part of the drawing, then the texture is provided in the material itself. A canvas texture is much easier, but you lose a little in the drawing. I use acrylic and watercolors, I started with oil, but as a matter of logistics and time spent for other types of paint, but mostly choose paper over canvas, even in large formats I can paint.
You reside in one of the most emblematic streets of Oporto, it is important to creatively?
SR: I do not live there, I have my studio.
Chose this area purposely?
SR: It was an accident, I have a photographer friend who has a studio in that same street and there was a time I needed more space, one just for me and he suggested me a space next to this and I'm there for three years. I find that area inspiring.
Oporto is part of this next collection of artists and their cities?
SR: This collection no, but the one titled "Lusophone", which will be presented for the first time in Paris in April. I'm scheduling trips for representations of the same work and I am considering adding two more capitals.
