Experimental Phase - Visual Arts

Visual Arts

GILVAN SAMICO Special Room (1928 - 2013)

The first exhibitions of Armorial art included artists such as Aluísio Braga, Fernando Lopes da Paz, Francisco Brennand, Gilvan Samico, Lourdes Magalhães and Miguel dos Santos. At the entrance of this nucleus, we are dedicating a Special Room to Gilvan Samico, one of the most important Brazilian artists to receive national and international recognition for the perfect manner in which he was able to unite erudite and popular in the difficult technique of engraving. This room also shows the artist’s paintings, a little known facet of his work, but of great significance to his production.

Samico and Suassuna were good friends throughout their lives, and from the many texts regarding the artist, written by Ariano, we highlight the following:

“Diving into the universe of the Romanceiro Popular Nordestino and re-encountering the roots of his blood, Samico returned with his Saints, Prophets, fire-birds, dragons, serpents, enchanted bulls and mysterious horses in engravings that offer us an aspect of sovereign simplicity, a really impressive technical virtuosity.(...) When still including Samico in the ranks of the Movimento Armorial movement, I do this with absolute conviction that it is the Movimento that is enriched by his presence and not the other way round, because I know perfectly well when I am dealing with one of these rare cases of a superior artist, master of himself and disciple of no one.”