This vibrant and fantastical painting by Chico da Silva, a self-taught Brazilian artist of Amazonian and Indigenous descent, bursts with color, symbolism, and imaginative form. Known for his unique visual language blending myth, nature, and folklore, da Silva creates a surreal aquatic creature, part fish, part dreamlike being, set against a deep black background enlivened by luminous green foliage.
The creature's body is composed of hypnotic, patterned segments—scales rendered in blues and turquoises, wings adorned with rhythmic lines and dots, and a head that resembles a radiant sun or mandala. Each section appears stitched or fused together in vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows, evoking a sense of transformation or hybrid identity. The fish’s eye, a concentric target-like form, draws the viewer into the spiritual and visionary realm that defines da Silva’s work.
This piece exemplifies Chico da Silva’s contribution to Brazilian modernism and art brut, blending ancestral cosmologies with an explosive, hallucinatory palette—each painting a portal into a world where nature, spirit, and fantasy are one.
Chico da Silva, largely self-taught, he engaged in various professions unrelated to art, all the while etching charcoal and chalk drawings on city walls. His discovery by Swiss painter Jean-Pierre Chabloz in the mid-1950s at the Pirambu beach in Fortaleza marked a turning point. Chabloz, who took da Silva under his wing, imparted techniques of gouache and oil painting. The budding artist’s works graced exhibitions across the city, in Rio de Janeiro, and even in Switzerland. In 1966, he received an honorable mention at the 33rd Venice Biennale. Unfortunately, Chabloz later severed ties with Chico, citing dissatisfaction with the artist’s quality. Chico da Silva’s style stands as a unique marvel, emerging spontaneously from the depths of his imagination. Untouched by outside influences or formal art schools, his early charcoal sketches were marked by intricate details and abstract forms. His subjects ranged from dragons and flying fish to mermaids, often imbued with an air of threat and intricate forms. As a painter of legends, national folklore, everyday life, and fantastical beings, his works resonate deeply. Chico da Silva’s legacy is preserved in the permanent collections of esteemed institutions like the Museu de Arte do Rio de Janeiro (MAR) and the Museu de Arte da Universidade Federal do Ceará (MAUC).
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