Gregório Gruber (Santos SP 1951)
Gregório Gruber is a painter, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, set designer and photographer. He began his artistic training in 1965, with piano and music theory courses at the Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado (Faap) and harpsichord lessons at Pró-Arte. In 1969, he took a drawing course with Frederico Nasser and also made Super 8 films. In 1971, he interrupted his architecture studies at the Faculdade de Arquitetura of the Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie and began taking lithography and intaglio classes at the Ateliê Mário Gruber and at the Socorro Curso de Gravura em Metal, respectively. He enrolled in the visual arts program at Faap in 1972, leaving it the following year.
In 1974, he traveled to Paris, where he took drawing classes at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. That same year, he held his first solo exhibition at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (Masp). In 1975, he did internships in graphic arts and photography at the Ateliê Mário Gruber and, the following year, took charge of the life drawing course at the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (Pesp).
In 1976, he received the award for best print from the Associação Paulista de Críticos de Arte (APCA). In 1986, he published the book Bodas de Sangue [Blood Wedding], with drawings based on Carlos Saura's film. The following year, he was the set designer for Nelson Rodrigues's play Vestido de Noiva [The Wedding Dress], directed by Marcio Aurelio.
His work has been the subject of four films: O Gesto Criador [The Creative Gesture] (1977) and Retrato do Artista Quando Jovem [Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man] (1978), both directed by Olívio Tavares de Araújo; Uma Tarde com Gregório [An Afternoon with Gregório] (1987), by Nelson Pereira dos Santos; and Gregório (1992), produced by the Instituto Itaú Cultural.
Critical Commentary
Gregório Gruber's name is directly associated with urban views and scenes, above all images of São Paulo such as Avenida São João, 1991, and Major Sertório and Pacaembu, 1993. These are objective, almost photographic depictions of the city, which has led critics to describe his work as hyperrealism. Indeed, Gruber's painting has numerous affinities with photography, which he uses, as he puts it, as a "sketch" and "part of the creative process". But other resources are also used to build the canvas. "I'm very much an architect", he says. "I structure the paintings, I keep planning. I always start with a note, almost always in a little sketchbook, then comes the watercolor, sometimes even pastel, and only then do I go to the canvas with oil or acrylic".
The painter's architectural vocation shows both in the planning and in the result of the work; after all, what the paintings reveal are constructions: rows of houses, streets, avenues, viaducts and skyscrapers, caught at night or in daylight. The lines and planes of the city can be taken in at a single glance, even though the clarity of the image is generally disturbed on these surfaces, at times hazy, at times transparent, at times mirrored. The play of revealing and concealing, technically orchestrated by the artist, undermines the verisimilitude of the scene, lending it ethereal, dreamlike and even surreal features. The metropolis appears emptied of the flows and crowds that characterize it; only lines, volumes and glimmers remain.
Critiques
"(...) Gregório's emergence on the current Brazilian art scene is quite recent, although he has been drawing from a very early age. The basis of his whole language so far has been realism close to photography, though he should not be considered a hyperrealist. Starting from photographs, he sets in the big city where he lives, São Paulo, the static atmosphere of loneliness and estrangement that recalls above all the painful dose of reality in the painting of the American Edward Hopper. Besides replacing the middle-aged figures frequent in this herald of pop art and contemporary realism with young daily companions, including himself, still reasonably free of existential frustration, Gregório tends to intensify with unreal weight the theatrical luminosity and glare of his São Paulo settings and scenes to a level avoided by Hopper, always sparing and cold. In this sense, the stage on which things happen in the young Paulista's drawing - mostly executed in pastel - leans toward the fantastic, in contrast to the metaphysical foundation of the American. But it is not a fantastic that flees reality; rather, it intensifies it. These characters and atmospheres are very familiar to us; their strangeness does not require much effort to decipher. They merely seem to be in suspension, unaware of the gaze that sees them now, on the far side of the concrete reality they were at a certain earlier moment".
Roberto Pontual
PONTUAL, Roberto. Arte brasileira contemporânea: Coleção Gilberto Chateaubriand. Rio de Janeiro: Jornal do Brasil, 1976.
"The main theme of Gregório's creative work is the gaze. Being a city dweller, what he sees around him in the street are cars, buildings, lampposts; inside the house, objects; and in people, gestures. Unable to lose itself in distances, the gaze exercises detail in what, by force of urban circumstance, is inevitably close, and so what gains expressiveness is the fusion of small gestures and objects. This patient, silent, autobiographical gaze is not critical; it does not take sides with regard to the reality around it, although Gregório turns his gaze away from certain scenes, preferring those that better match his way of being. His gaze always seeks a certain kind of image from which a halo of sadness or loneliness emanates, and for this he prefers the city's dead hours, the silence of interiors. On the other hand, in these moments, streets and objects seem to acquire an 'inner life'; they reveal a presence the artist seeks to transfer to the viewer. These city images began to appear in his work in the pastels of 1971 and progressed up to the 1979 Bienal with large acrylic paintings. 'Today', says the artist, 'these places give me another kind of emotion. I feel them as compositions - plastic situations that envelop me with their glimmers and above all with the stage-set atmosphere that modern buildings have'".
Frederico Morais
MORAIS, Frederico. Dacoleção: os caminhos da arte brasileira. São Paulo: Júlio Bogoricin Imóveis, c. 1986.
Solo Exhibitions
1974 - Campinas SP - Prints, at Galeria Girassol
1974 - São Paulo SP - Gregório Gruber: Pastels, at Masp
1975 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Pastels, at Graffiti Galeria de Arte
1976 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Prints, at Graffiti Galeria de Arte
1976 - São Paulo SP - Gregório Gruber: Watercolors, Drawings and Paintings, at MAB/Faap
1977 - São Paulo SP - The Artist at the Bank: Impressions, at Masp
1978 - Brasília DF - Gregório Gruber: Drawings, at Oscar Seraphico Galeria de Arte
1978 - São Paulo SP - Gregório Gruber: Paintings and Watercolors, at Galeria Alberto Bonfiglioli
1979 - Santos SP - Gregório Gruber: Drawings, at Tênis Clube
1979 - São Paulo SP - Anatomies, at Galeria Luisa Strina
1980 - Porto Alegre RS - Gregório Gruber: Landscapes, at Galeria do Centro Comercial
1980 - São Paulo SP - Gregório Gruber, at Galeria Alberto Bonfiglioli
1980 - São Paulo SP - Gregório Gruber: Landscapes, at Galeria Alberto Bonfiglioli
1981 - Brasília DF - Gregório Gruber: Drawings, at Oscar Seraphico Galeria de Arte
1982 - São Paulo SP - Gregório Gruber: Oils and Pastels, at Galeria Alberto Bonfiglioli
1983 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Gregório Gruber: Pastels, at GB Arte
1983 - São Paulo SP - Gregório Gruber: Bronzes, at Galeria de Artes Rastro
1983 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Alberto Bonfiglioli
1983 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Sesc Paulista
1984 - São Paulo SP - Places: Paintings, Drawings, Photos, at Galeria Alberto Bonfiglioli
1986 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Bodas de Sangue [Blood Wedding], at Casa de Cultura Laura Alvim
1986 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Gregório Gruber: Pastels and Videographics, at Montesanti Galleria
1986 - São Paulo SP - Bodas de Sangue [Blood Wedding], at Escritório de Arte São Paulo
1988 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Escritório de Arte São Paulo
1988 - São Paulo SP - Voyeur and the Bank, at Espaço D'Artefacto
1990 - São Paulo SP - Gregório Gruber Prints: Works on Paper, at Morumbi Shopping
1993 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria São Paulo
1993 - São Paulo SP - Gregório Gruber: Paintings, Papers, Ceramics, at Escritório de Arte São Paulo
1993 - São Paulo SP - Paintings, Papers, Ceramics, at Galeria São Paulo
1995 - São Paulo SP - Gregório Gruber: Visions, at A Hebraica
1996 - Poços de Caldas MG - Gregório Gruber: Paintings, Drawings and Sculptures, at Casa de Cultura de Poços de Caldas
1996 - São Paulo SP - Gregório Gruber: Paintings, at Espaço Ox
1996 - São Paulo SP - Gregório Gruber: Paintings, Drawings and Sculptures, at Instituto Moreira Salles
2001 - São Paulo SP - Gregório Gruber: Paintings and Papers, at Galeria Múltipla de Arte
2002 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Bolsa de Mercadorias e Futuros
Group Exhibitions
1970 - São Paulo SP - 4th Young Contemporary Art, at MAC/USP
1971 - São Paulo SP - 3rd Panorama of Current Brazilian Art, at MAM/SP
1971 - São Paulo SP - 3rd São Paulo Contemporary Art Salon, at Galeria Prestes Maia
1972 - Campinas SP - 8th Campinas Contemporary Art Salon, at MACC - first prize
1972 - Jundiaí SP - 3rd Jundiaí Art Meeting, at Museu Histórico e Cultural
1972 - São Paulo SP - 3rd Young Contemporary Art Salon, at MAC/USP
1972 - São Paulo SP - Brasil Plástica 72 Prize, at Fundação Bienal
1972 - São Paulo SP - 4th São Paulo Contemporary Art Salon, at Masp
1973 - Brussels (Belgium) - Image du Brésil, at Manhattan Center
1973 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Some Aspects of Brazilian Drawing, at Galeria Ibeu Copacabana
1973 - Santos SP - 2nd Visual Arts Biennial
1973 - São Paulo SP - 12th Bienal Internacional de São Paulo, at Fundação Bienal
1974 - Belo Horizonte MG - Brazilian Drawing 74, at Palácio das Artes
1974 - Brasília DF - Brazilian Drawing 74, at Fundação Cultural do Distrito Federal
1974 - Campinas SP - 9th Campinas Contemporary Art Salon, at MACC
1974 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Brazilian Drawing 74, at MAM/RJ
1974 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 6th Summer Salon, at MAM/RJ
1975 - Jundiaí SP - 4th Jundiaí Arts Meeting
1975 - São Paulo SP - 6th São Paulo Contemporary Art Salon, at Fundação Bienal
1976 - Cali (Colombia) - 3rd American Biennial of Graphic Arts, at Museo de Arte Moderno La Tertulia
1976 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Art Now I - Brazil 70/75, at MAM/RJ
1976 - São Caetano do Sul SP - Contemporary Art 76, at Fundação das Artes
1976 - São Paulo SP - National Biennial 76, at Fundação Bienal
1976 - São Paulo SP - 8th Panorama of Current Brazilian Art, at MAM/SP
1977 - Belo Horizonte MG - 5th Global Winter Salon, at Fundação Palácio das Artes
1977 - Brasília DF - 5th Global Winter Salon, at Fundação Cultural do Distrito Federal
1977 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 5th Global Winter Salon, at Mnba
1977 - São Paulo SP - 5th Global Winter Salon, at Masp
1977 - São Paulo SP - 9th Panorama of Current Brazilian Art, at MAM/SP
1978 - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - 15 Brazilian Artists, at Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires
1978 - Maldonado (Uruguay) - 2nd Maldonado Biennial
1978 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 1st National Visual Arts Salon, at Mnba - acquisition prize
1979 - Belo Horizonte MG - 11th National Art Salon
1979 - São Paulo SP - 15th Bienal Internacional de São Paulo, at Fundação Bienal
1979 - São Paulo SP - 11th Panorama of Current Brazilian Art, at MAM/SP
1980 - Paris (France) - Paris Biennale
1981 - São Paulo SP - Contemporary Brazilian Artists, at Escritório de Arte São Paulo
1982 - Penápolis SP - 5th Noroeste Visual Arts Salon, at Fundação Educacional de Penápolis. Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Penápolis
1983 - São Paulo SP - 14th Panorama of Current Brazilian Art, at MAM/SP
1983 - São Paulo SP - Avenida Paulista, at Galeria Sesc Paulista
1983 - São Paulo SP - Palm Tree, at Galeria Alberto Bonfiglioli
1984 - São Paulo SP - The Urban and Industrial Dimensions in São Paulo Figurative Painting, at Traço Galeria de Arte
1984 - São Paulo SP - Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection: Portrait and Self-Portrait of Brazilian Art, at MAM/SP
1985 - Penápolis SP - 6th Noroeste Visual Arts Salon, at Fundação Educacional de Penápolis. Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Penápolis
1985 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Old Habit: Brazilian Drawing, at EAV/Parque Lage
1985 - São Paulo SP - Highlights of Brazilian Contemporary Art, at MAM/SP
1986 - São Paulo SP - The URBS as Seen by Eight Artists, at Galeria Montesanti Roesler
1987 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - To the Collector: Tribute to Gilberto Chateaubriand, at MAM/RJ
1987 - São Paulo SP - 18th Panorama of Current Brazilian Art, at MAM/SP
1987 - São Paulo SP - 20th Contemporary Art Exhibition, at Chapel Art Show
1987 - São Paulo SP - Web of Taste, at Fundação Bienal
1988 - São Paulo SP - Juréia, at Sadalla Galeria de Arte
1992 - Santo André SP - Lithography: Methods and Concepts, at Paço Municipal
1992 - São Paulo SP - The 1960s/70s: Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection - MAM/RJ, at Galeria de Arte do Sesi
1993 - Santos SP - 4th Santos National Biennial, at Centro Cultural Patrícia Galvão
1993 - São Paulo SP - Modern Drawing in Brazil: Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection, at Galeria de Arte do Sesi
1994 - Poços de Caldas MG - Unibanco Collection: Exhibition Celebrating Unibanco's 70th Anniversary, at Casa da Cultura de Poços de Caldas
1994 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Modern Drawing in Brazil: Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection, at MAM/RJ
1994 - São Paulo SP - Flags: 60 Artists Celebrate USP's 60th Anniversary, at MAC/USP
1994 - São Paulo SP - Bienal Brasil Século XX, at Fundação Bienal
1995 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Unibanco Collection: Exhibition Celebrating Unibanco's 70th Anniversary, at MAM/RJ
1996 - São Paulo SP - Flags, at Galeria de Arte do Sesi
1996 - São Paulo SP - OFF Bienal, at MuBE
1997 - São Paulo SP - The Artists' City, at MAC/USP
1998 - São Paulo SP - Contemporary Art, at Sérgio Caribé Galeria de Arte
1998 - São Paulo SP - The Modern and the Contemporary in Brazilian Art: Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection - MAM/RJ, at Masp
1999 - São Paulo SP - 8 Brazilian Artists, at Sérgio Caribé Galeria de Arte
1999 - São Paulo SP - Lithography: Fidelity and Memory, at Espaço de Artes Unicid
2000 - São Paulo SP - The Role of Art, at Galeria de Arte do Sesi
2000 - São Paulo SP - 9th São Paulo Contemporary Art Salon, at Complexo Cultural Júlio Prestes
2001 - São Paulo SP - Museu de Arte Brasileira: 40 Years, at MAB/Faap
2001 - São Paulo SP - Trajectory of Light in Brazilian Art, at Itaú Cultural
2002 - São Paulo SP - 8 Contemporary Brazilian Artists, at Casa das Rosas
2002 - São Paulo SP - Who Makes the Biennials, at Galeria Múltipla de Arte
2003 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Brazilianart Project, at Almacén Galeria de Arte
2003 - São Paulo SP - Art & Artists: Exhibition of the Nineteen Painters, at Masp. Galeria Prestes Maia
2003 - São Paulo SP - Israel and Palestine: Two States for Two Peoples, at Sesc Pompeia
2004 - Campinas SP - Metrópolis Collection of Contemporary Art, at Espaço Cultural CPFL
2004 - São Paulo SP - 450 X 45, at Nova André Galeria
2004 - São Paulo SP - Group Show of Contemporary Artists, at Esporte Clube Sírio
2004 - São Paulo SP - The Price of Seduction: From Corset to Silicone, at Itaú Cultural
Source: Itaú Cultural
