José Barbosa da Silva (Olinda PE 1948)
Painter, draftsman, wood carver, sculptor, illustrator and printmaker.
Son of the cabinetmaker and restorer Ernani Ricardo da Silva, he carved chests for antique dealers in his father's woodshop at the Mercado da Ribeira in Olinda. In 1963, encouraged by the painter Adão Pinheiro, he began his artistic career. Around that time, he joined and organized the Movimento de Arte Ribeira [Ribeira Art Movement], which included João Câmara, Vicente do Rego Monteiro and Guita Charifker. He organized the 1st Salão de Arte Popular [Folk Art Salon] in Natal with Janete Costa in 1965. That same year, he moved to Rio de Janeiro and took part in the beginnings of Tropicália, Cinema Novo and the New Figuration, as well as studying metal engraving with Orlando da Silva. In 1967, he made sculptures for the Hotel Savoy. In 1972, he left for Europe, living in Germany and France until 1978, when he returned to Brazil. In 1976, he worked in a studio with Roseline Granet and Jean-Paul Riopelle in Meudon, France.
Critiques
"Looking at the works of the Olinda artist José Barbosa, in their varied and multiple techniques, two things immediately stand out: whether working in painting, drawing, printmaking, carving or sculpture, the thematic unity is striking, and the magically charged 'atmosphere' is almost a constant, which leads us to observe that his work has total integrity; that is, José Barbosa is always faithful to his inner subjectivity, itself the fruit of the objective world that marked his experience; the representation of that world is tellurically linked to the real and mythological landscape of his ever-present Olinda. An important factor in his work, whatever the genre or category, is the line, the drawing. Color, which appears very frequently, except in the prints, is a necessary complement to the heightening of the magical, the mythical and the semi-oneiric. (...); living about six years in Europe, he was able to remain intact from the point of view of his perception and personal conceptions, richly manifested in his work. Of course some incorporations and assimilations took place (...). These incorporations are very subtle and only a more attentive eye will discover the most diverse resonances, including among them the deliberate use of linear perspective in some works, or of something linked to the New Figuration. (...) in some more recent landscapes, in which masses of diffuse stains imbue his watercolors with an expressive indefiniteness that lies in the world of the passage from not-being to being".
Montez Magno
JOSÉ Barbosa: 15 aquarelas e 14 talhas. Apresentação de Renato Magalhães Gouvêa. Textos de Montez Magno et al. São Paulo: Renato Magalhães Gouvêa - Escritório de Arte, 1981.
"From José Barbosa we shall expect the best. If he decides on carving rather than cabinetmaking, and if he stays faithful to his popular blood, Northeastern art will be congratulated, for it will have gained, at the very least, a carver who owes nothing to the great artisans who made the altars of Olinda - this Olinda where he was born and raised and which is, for us Northeasterners, the same 'sacred hill' it was for our 17th-century ancestors in their struggle for the formation of the nation".
Ariano Suassuna
SUASSUNA, Ariano. In: GALERIA JACQUES ARDIES. O mundo encantado de José Barbosa: catálogo. São Paulo, 1999.
"At moments one hears echoes of Matisse or surrealism, at others the tone is medieval religiosity. But Barbosa's art is never derivative. While it shows magnificent technical assurance in any medium, each work is full of wonderful surprises: the longer one lives with his paintings and sculptures, the more one enters that special world of enchantment".
Peter Rosenwald
ROSENWALD, Peter. In: GALERIA JACQUES ARDIES. O mundo encantado de José Barbosa: catálogo. São Paulo, 1999.
Solo Exhibitions
1964 - Recife PE - Solo, at Galeria de Arte do Recife
1965 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Goeldi
1966 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Goeldi
1966 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Ibeu Copacabana
1966 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Salão dos Transportes [Transport Salon], at MAM/RJ
1969 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Irlandini
1971 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Irlandini
1972 - Cologne (Germany) - Solo, at Anna Friebe Galerie
1972 - London (England) - Solo, at Elvaston Gallery
1972 - Paris (France) - La Gravure Contemporaine [Contemporary Printmaking], at Bibliothèque Nationale de France
1973 - Paris (France) - Solo, at Galeria Debret
1974 - Munich (Germany) - Solo, at Brasilianische General Konsulat
1975 - Bonn (Germany) - Solo, at Ibero-Klub
1975 - Paris (France) - Solo, at Chez Claude e Bernard Bazin
1978 - Recife PE - Solo, at Gatsby Arte
1979 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Funarte - Galeria Sérgio Milliet
1980 - Recife PE - Solo, at Artespaço Galeria de Arte
1981 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Renato Magalhães Gouvêa Escritório de Arte
1982 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Estampa
1984 - Recife PE - Solo, at Artespaço Galeria de Arte
1984 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Bonino
1985 - Paris (France) - Solo, at Centre Latino-Americain
1987 - Recife PE - Solo, at Artespaço Galeria de Arte
1987 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Montessanti Roesler
1989 - Recife PE - Solo, at Artespaço Galeria de Arte
1992 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Bonino
1994 - Recife PE - Solo, at Galeria Futuro 25
1995 - Recife PE - Solo, at Artespaço Galeria de Arte
1996 - Recife PE - Solo, at Galeria Futuro 25
1996 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Irlandini
1997 - Recife PE - Solo, at Espaço Cultural Bandepe
1997 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Cândido Mendes
1998 - Blumenau SC - Solo, at Reitoria da Furb
1998 - Paris (France) - José Barbosa: 20 ans après [José Barbosa: 20 Years Later], at Chez Sophie et Fred Bazin
1999 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Jacques Ardies
2003 - São Paulo SP - Arquétipos da Natureza [Archetypes of Nature], at Galeria Jacques Ardies
Group Exhibitions
1964 - Recife PE - Salão de Artistas Estreantes Deca [Deca Debut Artists Salon] - award winner
1965 - Natal RN - Salão Brasileiro de Arte Popular [Brazilian Folk Art Salon]
1965 - Olinda PE - Exposição de Arte Sacra [Sacred Art Exhibition], at Mercado da Ribeira
1965 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 1º Salão Esso de Artistas Jovens [1st Esso Salon of Young Artists], at MAM/RJ
1965 - São Paulo SP - 1º Salão Esso de Artistas Jovens [1st Esso Salon of Young Artists], at MAC/USP
1966 - Bayreuth (Germany) - Festival Wagner [Wagner Festival]
1966 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Arte Brasileira em Coleções Americanas [Brazilian Art in American Collections], at Galeria Ibeu Copacabana
1966 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Salão dos Transportes [Transport Salon], at MAM/RJ - 1st prize in sculpture
1967 - Belo Horizonte MG - 23º Salão de Belas Artes da Cidade de Belo Horizonte [23rd Belo Horizonte City Fine Arts Salon], at MAP
1967 - Madrid (Spain) - Primitivos Actuales de América [Contemporary Primitives of the Americas], at Instituto de Cultura Hispânica
1967 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Salão das Caixas [Salon of Boxes], at Petite Galerie
1967 - Santiago (Chile) - 3ª Bienal Americana de Gravura [3rd American Printmaking Biennial], at Museo de Arte Contemporáneo - Pablo Neruda Prize
1968 - Belo Horizonte MG - 23º Salão de Belas Artes da Cidade de Belo Horizonte [23rd Belo Horizonte City Fine Arts Salon], at MAP
1968 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 17º Salão Nacional de Arte Moderna [17th National Salon of Modern Art], at MAM/RJ
1968 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 2º Salão Esso de Artistas Jovens [2nd Esso Salon of Young Artists], at MAM/RJ
1968 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Arte no Aterro: um mês de arte pública [Art at the Aterro: A Month of Public Art], at Aterro do Flamengo e Pavilhão Japonês
1970 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 19º Salão Nacional de Arte Moderna [19th National Salon of Modern Art], at MAM/RJ - 1st prize in sculpture
1971 - London (England) - Brazilian Artists, at Manheim Gallery
1971 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 20º Salão Nacional de Arte Moderna [20th National Salon of Modern Art], at MAM/RJ
1971 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 50 Anos de Arte Moderna Brasileira [50 Years of Brazilian Modern Art], at MAM/RJ
1971 - Washington (United States) - Gravura Brasileira em Washington [Brazilian Printmaking in Washington]
1972 - Paris (France) - La Gravure Contemporaine [Contemporary Printmaking], at Bibliothèque Nationale de France
1972 - São Paulo SP - Arte/Brasil/Hoje: 50 anos depois [Art/Brazil/Today: 50 Years Later], at Galeria da Collectio
1973 - Morges (Switzerland) - Dix Artistes Brésiliens [Ten Brazilian Artists], at Pró-Artkasper
1973 - Paris (France) - L'Estampe Contemporaine [Contemporary Print], at Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
1973 - São Paulo SP - 12ª Bienal Internacional de São Paulo [12th São Paulo International Biennial], at Fundação Bienal
1974 - Paris (France) - Interiorité-Naiveté [Interiority-Naivety], at Galerie L'Oeil de Boeuf
1974 - Paris (France) - Salon International des Beaux-Arts [International Fine Arts Salon], at Musée d'Art Moderne - Grand Palais
1976 - Marseille (France) - Formes et Couleurs du Brésil [Forms and Colors of Brazil], at Crédit Commercial de France
1978 - Curitiba PR - 35º Salão Paranaense [35th Paraná Salon], at Teatro Guaíra - Salão de Exposições
1979 - Curitiba PR - 2ª Mostra Anual de Gravura Cidade de Curitiba [2nd Curitiba City Annual Printmaking Exhibition], at Centro de Criatividade
1979 - Recife PE - 32º Salão Oficial de Arte [32nd Official Art Salon], at Museu do Estado de Pernambuco - award winner
1979 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 2º Salão Nacional de Artes Plásticas [2nd National Visual Arts Salon], at MAM/RJ
1981 - Curitiba PR - 3ª Mostra do Desenho Brasileiro [3rd Brazilian Drawing Exhibition], at Teatro Guaíra
1981 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 4º Salão Nacional de Artes Plásticas [4th National Visual Arts Salon], at MAM/RJ
1982 - Belo Horizonte MG - 4 Cantos de Olinda [4 Corners of Olinda], at Anna Arte Design
1982 - Recife PE - 35º Salão de Artes Plásticas de Pernambuco [35th Pernambuco Visual Arts Salon], at Museu do Estado de Pernambuco
1982 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 5º Salão Nacional de Artes Plásticas [5th National Visual Arts Salon], at MAM/RJ
1983 - Recife PE - 36º Salão de Artes Plásticas de Pernambuco [36th Pernambuco Visual Arts Salon], at Museu do Estado de Pernambuco
1983 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 6º Salão Nacional de Artes Plásticas [6th National Visual Arts Salon], at MAM/RJ
1983 - São Paulo SP - 17ª Bienal Internacional de São Paulo [17th São Paulo International Biennial], at Fundação Bienal
1984 - Curitiba PR - 6ª Mostra da Gravura Cidade de Curitiba - A Xilogravura na História da Arte Brasileira [6th Curitiba City Printmaking Exhibition - Woodcut in the History of Brazilian Art], at Casa Romário Martins
1984 - Havana (Cuba) - 1ª Bienal de Havana [1st Havana Biennial], at Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
1984 - Recife PE - 37º Salão de Artes Plásticas de Pernambuco [37th Pernambuco Visual Arts Salon]
1984 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - A Xilogravura na História da Arte Brasileira [Woodcut in the History of Brazilian Art], at Funarte - Galeria Sérgio Milliet
1984 - São Paulo SP - Tradição e Ruptura: síntese de arte e cultura brasileiras [Tradition and Rupture: A Synthesis of Brazilian Art and Culture], at Fundação Bienal
1985 - Recife PE - 38º Salão de Artes Plásticas de Pernambuco [38th Pernambuco Visual Arts Salon], at Museu do Estado de Pernambuco - award winner
1985 - Recife PE - Group show, at Galeria Futuro 25
1986 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 9º Salão Nacional de Artes Plásticas [9th National Visual Arts Salon], at MAM/RJ
1987 - Curitiba PR - 44º Salão Paranaense [44th Paraná Salon], at MAC/PR
1987 - Paris (France) - L'Art Fantastique du Brésil [Fantastic Art of Brazil]
1988 - Recife PE - Gil Vicente, Gilvan Samico e José Barbosa [Gil Vicente, Gilvan Samico and José Barbosa], at Estudio A Galeria de Arte
1988 - São Paulo SP - A Mão Afro-Brasileira [The Afro-Brazilian Hand], at MAM/SP
1988 - São Paulo SP - Brasiliana: o homem e a terra [Brasiliana: Man and Land], at Pinacoteca do Estado
1989 - Olinda PE - Viva Olinda Viva [Long Live Olinda], at Atelier Coletivo
1991 - Recife PE - Group show, at Galeria Futuro 25
1992 - Recife PE - Group show, at Galeria Futuro 25
1993 - Porto Alegre RS - Group show, at Galeria Tina Zippoli
1995 - João Pessoa PB - Group show, at Galeria Gamela
1997 - Recife PE - Os 4 Zés [The 4 Zés], at Artespaço Galeria de Arte
1998 - Paris (France) - Accrochage [Hanging], at Galerie L'Oeil de Boeuf
Source: Itaú Cultural
