João Alves Oliveira da Silva (Ipirá BA 1906 - Salvador BA c. 1970)
Painter and draftsman.
Self-taught, he drew in his spare time. Pierre Verger discovered him and encouraged him to paint in oil on canvas. Without giving up his work as a shoeshiner, João began buying cans of enamel paint (for doors and walls) and preparing his own paints. His paintings sold with difficulty. He later met Jorge Amado, Carybé and Odorico Tavares, who introduced him into the art world.
Critiques
"João Alves is the painter of the city (of Salvador), of its houses, its streets, its ordinary people, the Bonfim festival and the eternal courtesan of Pelourinho, the nights of São João, the magical carnival of the afoxés".
Jorge Amado
ARTE nos séculos. São Paulo: Abril Cultural, 1969.
Solo Exhibitions
1961 - Salvador BA - Solo, at MAM/BA
1964 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at João Sebastião Bar
1965 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Montmartre
Group Exhibitions
1954 - Goiânia GO - Exhibition of the Congresso Nacional de Intelectuais [National Congress of Intellectuals]
1956 - São Paulo SP - 50 Years of Brazilian Landscape, at MAM/SP
1957 - São Paulo SP - Artistas da Bahia [Artists from Bahia], at MAM/SP
1964 - Salvador BA - Exhibition, at Galeria Querino
c. 1964 - Salvador BA - Bahia Fine Arts Salon - silver medal
1966 - Salvador BA - 1st National Visual Arts Biennial of Bahia
1967 - Salvador BA - Christmas Group Exhibition, at Panorama Galeria de Arte
Posthumous Exhibitions
1980 - São Paulo SP - Gente da Terra [People of the Land], at Paço das Artes
1981 - Maceió AL - Artistas Brasileiros da Primeira Metade do Século XX [Brazilian Artists of the First Half of the 20th Century] group show, at Instituto Histórico e Geográfico
1988 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - O Mundo Fascinante dos Pintores Naïfs [The Fascinating World of Naïve Painters], at Paço Imperial
1996 - Osasco SP - 4th Art Show, at Centro Universitário Fieo
2000 - São Paulo SP - Rediscovery Exhibition, at Fundação Bienal
2001 - São Paulo SP - Figuras e Faces [Figures and Faces], at A Galeria
2002 - Osasco SP - Santa Ingenuidade [Holy Naïveté], at Centro Universitário Fieo
Source: Itaú Cultural
