José Alves Bezerra (Carolina MA 1939)
Painter, draftsman and illustrator.
He began painting in 1964. From 1957 and throughout the 1960s he worked as a draftsman and illustrator for various publications, among them Introdução a Dante [Introduction to Dante], by Father Salvatore Viglio. He held his first solo exhibition in 1974 in Belo Horizonte. From 1972 he began painting portraits of Brazilian and international figures, such as the King of Oman, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Antônio Bento and Roberto Campos. His works are in public and private collections in several countries, including Brazil, the United States and Canada.
Critiques
"J. Bezerra's technique is clean, with soft tones and a predominance of subdued colors, which heightens the dreamlike feeling and the effect of its Symbolist content".
Flávio de Aquino
AQUINO, Flávio. [1985] In: BEZERRA, J. J. Bezerra: exposição de obras recentes. Rio de Janeiro: Galeria de Arte Borghese, 1991. il. p. b. color., fot.
"In his visual work J. Bezerra seeks a 'fantastic naturalism'. More than ever, through the technical refinement the language demands, his painting intensely reproduces the force of the thought that projects it, peopling the universe of dreams with diaphanous and solemn beings. Reality is thus a symbolic and timeless reference, coming to stand for what Antônio Bento called 'symbolic properties that he also attributes to colors'".
Walmir Ayala
AYALA, Walmir. [1988]. In: BEZERRA, J. J. Bezerra: exposição de obras recentes. Rio de Janeiro: Galeria de Arte Borghese, 1991. il. p. b. color., fot.
"J. Bezerra states that he invariably creates a narrative in each of his works. This narrative is obviously not the same as that of traditional art. Much less that of comic strips. At times it is hermetic, since the meanings of the symbols, even those expressed through figures or signs, are not accessible to everyone. (...) When he left advertising, J. Bezerra made hyperrealist works. He was not satisfied with that solution. He felt that copying life was not enough for him. (...) He then turned to a more fantastic and symbolic expression".
Antônio Bento
BENTO, Antônio. In: BEZERRA, J. J. Bezerra: exposição de obras recentes. Rio de Janeiro: Galeria de Arte Borghese, 1991. il. p. b. color., fot.
Testimonials
"A painting should never be seen merely as a colored surface; it is above all a path that leads us through unknown regions beyond the painting itself, broadening our understanding of reality and taking us to new regions of perception. In my current working process, when I start a painting, the first stage is entirely spontaneous, almost unconscious; sometimes it is completely so; from the second stage on, however, everything is rigorously calculated. This happens even when the painting takes hold of me, telling me which way to go - which has also become normal in my work. My current painting, rather than being craftwork, represents above all a great mental adventure. In this adventure I try to replace the imperative power of logic and reason with a much deeper feeling that arises from poetic emotion. This feeling lies on a plane opposite to that of reason, but it is in this direction, in the obsession with an advance of human aspirations, that the foundations of my art rest".
J. Bezerra
BEZERRA, J. J. Bezerra: exposição de obras recentes. Rio de Janeiro: Galeria de Arte Borghese, 1991. il. p. b. color., fot.
Solo Exhibitions
1974 - Belo Horizonte MG - Solo, at Serrana Palace Hotel. Galeria
1977 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Casablanca
1978 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Casablanca
1979 - Belo Horizonte MG - Solo, at Galeria Guignard
1979 - Recife PE - Solo, at Galeria Murilo Berardo
1979 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Casablanca
1979 - Salvador BA - Solo, at Kattya Galeria de Arte
1981 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Realidade Galeria de Arte
1982 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Realidade Galeria de Arte
1982 - Salvador BA - Solo, at Kattya Galeria de Arte
1985 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Olivia Kann
1988 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria de Arte Borghese
1991 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria de Arte Borghese
Group Exhibitions
1967 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 1st Visual Arts Exhibition, at MAM/RJ
1977 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Group show, at Galeria Maison de Artes
1977 - São Paulo SP - Visual Arts Exhibition, at Masp
1979 - Recife PE - Group show, at Galeria Arte Maior
1980 - Hannover (Germany) - Brasilianische Kunst
1981 - Paris (France) - Peintres Brésiliens
1982 - Montreal (Canada) - Semaine de L'Art Brésilien
1983 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Group show, at Galeria Realidade
1983 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Group show, at Clube Naval
1984 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Group show, at Galeria Realidade
1991 - São Paulo SP - Chico e os Bichos [Chico and the Animals], at Ranulpho Galeria de Arte
Source: Itaú Cultural
