Arjan Martins – Americas

Although contemporary art persistently revisited its original thematic universes, in clear rupture with its powerful modern trend of the past, such a return not always accompanied formal and poetic requirements. Called ‘Americas’ by Arjan Martins, the theme of this exhibition is otherness and ethnic solidarity. However, such a return, as we have been following in the latest years, in Martins, does not overshadow its pictorial qualities. It is clear that such an issue of expression is a very successful choice. Regardless of its great contributions to the history of art inBrazil-just think of Segall, Goeldi, Guignard, Iberê Camargo-, expressionism was never a programmatic art or one that formed a movement, as it did inGermany, for instance. The Brazilian experience developed into a series of well-formed models that contributed to differentiating us radically from both the languages of Constructivism and geometric abstraction – which did present clear programs in support of rationalizing the emotion-laden tropics.

Martins chose the tradition of expressive arts. Although not the only one producing paintings under a contemporary perspective inBrazil, the very language employed by him has something very important that drags our attention and makes him stand out: the lack of any frills or gimmicks. If lyricism is capable of being straightforward and sometimes even strict or rather raw, this is the sort of language that Martins employs. There is nothing epic or dramatic about it in the theatrical or poetic sense, there is however a wealth of lyric inventions of approaches to themes as his race, -or the now politically correct ethnicity. Arjan Martins is a black artist. The art of the painter resides in turning a tragedy, a drama, a story that is ours, into this strict and austere lyricism. His work includes not only portraits of full figures caught in everyday activities being themselves, but also fragments of images that coexist on the same canvas surface. There you have his formal versatility. Talent cannot be distributed the same way as are equations of contemporary rationality, driven by the demands of the market. Talent alights on privileged spirits, who knows why. Arjan Martins is definitely one of those spirits.

Rio de Janeiro, June of 2014