Paulo Pasta (Ariranha SP 1959)
Painter, draftsman, illustrator and teacher.
He graduates in visual arts from the Escola de Comunicações e Artes of the Universidade de São Paulo - ECA/USP in 1983. He studies drawing and intaglio printmaking with Evandro Carlos Jardim (1935). He takes courses in lithography and screen printing with Regina Silveira (1939), and in painting with Donato Ferrari (1933) and Carmela Gross (1946). He works as an art educator at the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo - Pesp between 1983 and 1985. He creates abstract works in which he uses a reduced color range, exploring tonal variations. In 1984, he holds his first solo exhibition at the Galeria D. H. L. in São Paulo. He receives the Émile Eddé Visual Arts Grant in 1988. He has a significant teaching career, teaching painting at the Faculdade Santa Marcelina - FASM between 1987 and 1999, and drawing at the Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie between 1995 and 2002. He teaches at the Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado - Faap, which he joins in 1998. He also teaches open courses at several cultural institutions, such as the Museu Brasileiro de Escultura - MuBE and the Instituto Tomie Ohtake - ITO. In 1990, he receives the Brasília Visual Arts Prize at the Museu de Arte de Brasília - MAB/DF and, in 1997, the Price Waterhouse Prize - Body of Work, at the 25th Panorama de Arte Brasileira of the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo - MAM/SP. In 1998, the book Paulo Pasta is published by Edusp. He earns a master's degree in visual arts from ECA/USP in 2002. He illustrates, among others, the books Coração Partido - Uma Análise da Poesia Reflexiva de Drummond [Broken Heart - An Analysis of Drummond's Reflective Poetry] and Rocambole, both by the literary critic Davi Arrigucci Jr., published by Editora Cosac & Naify in 2002 and 2005, respectively.
Critical Commentary
In the 1980s, Paulo Pasta's painting shows soft tonal transitions and unstable, undefined forms. One of his main references, besides the work of Paul Cézanne (1839 - 1906) and Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954), is the painting of the American artist Jasper Johns (1930). By lightly scratching the top layer of paint on the canvas, Paulo Pasta creates forms close to pediments, amphorae and columns. These images allow a reference to the past; they belong to the realm of memory. For the art historian Rodrigo Naves, there is a touch of nostalgia in these works - they seek to reconnect with a historical time, pointing to the memory of an age without fractures, in which individual gestures and social meanings were harmoniously related. There is also a tonal play in the artist's works, a kind of first color containing others, which insistently insinuates itself, but the tones and brushstrokes obey only the internal balance of the work.
As the critic Alberto Tassinari points out, in the early 1990s his work changes: many of his paintings take as their motif something resembling a floor tiled with shards. These pictures do not lead the viewer's gaze to the horizon, but to obstacles and to a space that cannot be seen clearly. In works begun in 1994, there is more color contrast, the space widens and the structures become more ordered. The thick atmosphere and density of the earlier paintings remain, however. In 1996, the artist Nuno Ramos (1960), commenting on the works Paulo Pasta showed in a solo exhibition at the Galeria Camargo Vilaça in São Paulo, stresses the intense luminosity of the paintings, which heightens the differences of tone and color, light and shadow, surface and depth, while paradoxically balancing the painting as a whole.
For Naves, Paulo Pasta's painting offers the viewer an experience: it carries a kind of slowness, calling for a suspension of time so that the eye can linger over the tonal transitions and the forms, in a slow movement of differentiation.
Critiques
"Two contrasting aspects meet in Paulo Pasta's works. On the one hand, there is the irregularity and thickness of the pictorial matter, which asserts itself (especially when spread over large surfaces, as in the recent paintings) as a concrete presence, apparently independent of linguistic mediation - the element we have lately grown used to calling 'materic'. On the other hand, however, there is no raw matter in these works: everything is filtered, chosen, picked from tradition, and only then brought back to an elementary condition. (...) Yet these ripples of matter have a history; they are organized in the memory of old schemes - not only when they suggest a drawing of arches or the ghost of a perspective, but above all when, without any evident reference, they lend the picture the shadow of a classical composition. (...). Something analogous, but inverted, happens with color. There is no pure, raw color in Paulo Pasta's large monochrome surfaces. His colorism is tonal; it is a search for the point of balance between different qualities of the same paint. The pigment goes through a tuning process until it finds the exact pitch. (...)."
Lorenzo Mammì
PASTA, Paulo. Paulo Pasta : 2. bolsa Emile Eddé de artes plásticas. São Paulo: MAC/USP, 1989.
Collections
Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo
Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo
Museu Nacional de Belas Artes
Museu de Arte de Brasília
Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro
Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo
Acervo Galeria Millan Antônio - São Paulo
Coleção Adalberto Calil - São Paulo
Coleção Andréa e José Olympio Pereira - São Paulo
Coleção Andrea e Roger Agnelli - Rio de Janeiro
Coleção Antônio Gonçalves Filho - São Paulo
Coleção Arnaldo Malheiros Filho - São Paulo
Coleção Arthur de Mattos Casas - São Paulo
Coleção Arthur Lescher - São Paulo
Coleção Christian Hemmés - São Paulo
Coleção Claudio Mubarac - São Paulo
Coleção Denise Aguiar - São Paulo
Coleção Dulce e João Carlos de Figueiredo Ferraz - Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo
Coleção Fernando Altério - São Paulo
Coleção Gabriela e Antônio Quintella - São Paulo
Coleção Henrique Constantino - São Paulo
Coleção João Carlos Alves Pereira - São Paulo
Coleção João Federici - São Paulo
Coleção José Zaragosa - São Paulo
Coleção Kim Esteve - São Paulo
Coleção Marcantonio Vilaça - Recife
Coleção Marcelo Bandeira de Mello - São Paulo
Coleção Marcelo Secaf - São Paulo
Coleção Maria Luísa e Pedro Alcântara - São Paulo
Coleção Maria Teresa Sosio - São Paulo
Coleção Miguel Chaia - São Paulo
Coleção Milton Goldfarb - São Paulo
Coleção Nilo Cecco - São Paulo
Coleção Nora Clemente - São Paulo
Coleção Orandi Momesso - São Paulo
Coleção Patrícia Cisneros - Caracas
Coleção Rafael Decunto - São Paulo
Coleção Roberto Brandão - São Paulo
Coleção Rodrigo Andrade - São Paulo
Coleção Socorro de Andrade Lima - São Paulo
Coleção Song Eek - São Paulo
Coleção Sônia Fernandes - São Paulo
Coleção Tom Freitas Valle - São Paulo
Solo Exhibitions
1985 - Ribeirão Preto SP - Solo, at Galeria Campus/USP de Ribeirão Preto
1985 - São Carlos SP - Solo, at Galeria Campus/USP de São Carlos
1988 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Centro Cultural Cândido Mendes
1989 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at MAC/USP
1993 - Belo Horizonte MG - Solo, at Itaú Cultural
1994 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Anna Maria Niemeyer
1996 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Camargo Vilaça
1997 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Anna Maria Niemeyer
1998 - Curitiba PR - Solo, at Casa da Imagem
1998 - Recife PE - Solo, at Fundação Joaquim Nabuco
1999 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Camargo Vilaça
2001 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Paulo Pasta: Painting, at Galeria Anna Maria Niemeyer
2002 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Nara Roesler
2002 - São Paulo SP - Paulo Pasta: Drawings, at Centro Universitário Maria Antonia
2003 - São Paulo SP - Large Drawings, at Galeria 10,20 x 3,60
2004 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Paulo Pasta: Paintings, at Galeria Anna Maria Niemeyer
2004 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at CCSP
Group Exhibitions
1984 - São Paulo SP - On Landscape and Figure, at Galeria DHL
1985 - São Paulo SP - 2nd Pirelli Young Painting Prize, at Masp
1985 - São Paulo SP - 3rd São Paulo Contemporary Art Salon, at Fundação Bienal
1986 - Belo Horizonte MG - 9th National Visual Arts Salon: Southeast, at Fundação Clóvis Salgado. Palácio das Artes
1986 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 9th National Visual Arts Salon - acquisition prize
1986 - São Paulo SP - 4th São Paulo Contemporary Art Salon, at Fundação Bienal
1987 - São Paulo SP - 5th São Paulo Contemporary Art Salon, at Pinacoteca do Estado - State Department of Culture Prize
1987 - São Paulo SP - Second-Generation Images, at MAC/USP
1988 - Berlin (Germany) - Berlin/São Paulo Workshop, at Kunsthalle Berlim
1988 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Macunaíma Project, at Funarte. Centro de Artes
1988 - São Paulo SP - 6th São Paulo Contemporary Art Salon
1988 - São Paulo SP - Group show, at Galeria Subdistrito
1988 - São Paulo SP - Group show, at Paulo Figueiredo Galeria de Arte
1988 - São Paulo SP - Berlin/São Paulo Workshop, at Masp
1989 - Brasília DF - New Values of Latin American Art/Brazil, at Museu de Arte de Brasília
1989 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 11th National Visual Arts Salon, at Funarte
1989 - São Paulo SP - 20th Panorama of Current Brazilian Art, at MAM/SP
1989 - São Paulo SP - São Paulo Art, Recent Perspectives, at CCSP
1989 - São Paulo SP - Ten Artists, at Ateliê da Rua Fortunato
1990 - Brasília DF - Brasília Visual Arts Award, at Museu de Arte de Brasília
1991 - Caracas (Venezuela) - Brasil: la nueva generación, at Fundación Museo de Bellas Artes
1991 - Cuenca (Ecuador) - 3rd Cuenca Biennial
1991 - São Paulo SP - BR/80: Brazilian Painting of the 1980s, at Itaugaleria
1992 - São Paulo SP - Annual Visual Arts Exhibition Program, at CCSP
1994 - São Paulo SP - 22nd Bienal Internacional de São Paulo, at Fundação Bienal
1994 - São Paulo SP - Annual Visual Arts Exhibition Program, at CCSP
1995 - Londrina PR - Brazilian Art: Confrontations and Contrasts, at Pavilhão Internacional Octávio Cesário Pereira Júnior
1995 - São Paulo SP - The 1980s: The Stage of Diversity, at Galeria de Arte do Sesi
1995 - São Paulo SP - Morandi in Brazil, at CCSP
1996 - Cascavel PR - 3rd VentoSul: Southern Cone Integration Visual Arts Show, at Museu de Arte
1996 - São Paulo SP - Brazilian Contemporary Art: Recent Donations/96, at MAM/SP
1997 - Curitiba PR - Contemporary Printmaking, at Museu Metropolitano de Arte de Curitiba
1997 - Ouro Preto MG - Experiences and Perspectives: 12 Contemporary Visions, at Museu Casa dos Contos. Centro de Estudos do Ciclo do Ouro
1997 - São Paulo SP - 25th Panorama of Brazilian Art, at MAM/SP - Price Waterhouse Grand Prize
1997 - São Paulo SP - Arte Cidade: The City and Its Stories
1998 - Belo Horizonte MG - The Contemporary Urban Landscape, at Itaú Cultural
1998 - Belo Horizonte MG - The Support of the Word, at Itaú Cultural
1998 - Campinas SP - The Contemporary Urban Landscape, at Itaú Cultural
1998 - Niterói RJ - 25th Panorama of Brazilian Art, at MAC/Niterói
1998 - Penápolis SP - The Contemporary Urban Landscape, at Galeria Itaú Cultural
1998 - Recife PE - 25th Panorama of Brazilian Art, at Mamam
1998 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Brazilian Art in the Collection of the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo: Recent Donations 1996 - 1998, at CCBB
1998 - Salvador BA - 25th Panorama of Brazilian Art, at MAM/BA
1998 - São Paulo SP - The Contemporary Urban Landscape, at MAM/SP
1998 - São Paulo SP - Elective Affinities I: The Collector's Eye, at Casa das Rosas
1998 - São Paulo SP - The Collector, at MAM/SP
1998 - São Paulo SP - The Modern and the Contemporary in Brazilian Art: Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection - MAM/RJ, at Masp
1998 - São Paulo SP - The Support of the Word, at MAM/SP
1999 - São Paulo SP - Brazil in the Century of Art, MAC/USP Collection, at Galeria de Arte do Sesi
1999 - São Paulo SP - Almost Figure, at MAM/SP
2000 - Curitiba PR - Curitiba Printmaking Show. Marks of the Body, Folds of the Soul
2000 - Niterói RJ - Paintings in the João Sattamini Collection, at MAC/Niterói
2000 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Brasil + 500 Rediscovery Exhibition. Letter of Pero Vaz de Caminha, at Museu Histórico Nacional
2000 - São Paulo SP - Brasil + 500 Rediscovery Exhibition, at Fundação Bienal
2000 - São Paulo SP - New Work, at MAC/USP
2001 - Brasília DF - Contemporary Art Show, at Conjunto Cultural da Caixa
2001 - Porto Alegre RS - 3rd Bienal de Artes Visuais do Mercosul
2001 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Blind Mirror: Selections from a Contemporary Collection, at Paço Imperial
2001 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - The Spirit of Our Time, at MAM/RJ
2001 - São Paulo SP - Color in Brazilian Art, at MAM/SP
2001 - São Paulo SP - Blind Mirror: Selections from a Contemporary Collection, at MAM/SP
2001 - São Paulo SP - The Spirit of Our Time, at MAM/SP
2002 - Niterói RJ - Dialogue, Antagonism and Replication in the Sattamini Collection, at MAC/Niterói
2002 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Paths of the Contemporary 1952-2002, at Paço Imperial
2002 - São Paulo SP - 28 (+) Painting, at Espaço Virgílio
2002 - São Paulo SP - Strategies to Dazzle, at Galeria de Arte do Sesi
2002 - São Paulo SP - Map of Now: 50 Years of Brazilian Art, Sattamini Collection, at Instituto Tomie Ohtake
2002 - São Paulo SP - The Plane as the Structure of Form, at MAM/SP
2002 - São Paulo SP - Open Opera: Celebration, at Casa das Rosas
2002 - São Paulo SP - Gate 2, at Galeria Nara Roesler
2003 - Madrid (Spain) - ARCO/2003, at Parque Ferial Juan Carlos I
2003 - São Paulo SP - 2080, at MAM/SP
2003 - São Paulo SP - ARCO 2003, at Galeria Nara Roesler
2003 - São Paulo SP - MAC USP 40 Years: Contemporary Interfaces, at MAC/USP
2003 - São Paulo SP - My Friends, at MAM/SP
2004 - Niterói RJ - Painting and Drawing - 90/00, no MAC/Niterói
2004 - São Paulo SP - Contemporary Art in the Municipal Collection, at CCSP
Source: Itaú Cultural
