Brazilian artist Carlos Fragoso’s solo exhibition Works on Paper at Carol Jazzar Contemporary Art explores what the artist calls “the irrational, unconscious, and primitive human behaviors that ignite passion, violence and desire” via paintings and a series of etchings.
LEFT: Carlos Fragoso - Prom Night in Central Park. RIGHT: Carlos Fragoso - Paradise Lost.
Starting in the 1970s, Fragoso produced works such as his early gestural ink drawings that featured birds, anticipating the role of animals in his later work. An especially formative experience was Fragoso’s work on the development of a rubber plantation in his native Brazil. He spent six years isolated yet exposed to an abundance of flora and fauna, which strongly featured in his art and has remained a source of inspiration.
Carlos Fragoso - Portrait of Wounded Soldier.
The figurative works in the exhibit prominently feature humans, animals and fantastic creatures on highly textured surfaces. The visible marks in the natural papers bring spontaneity in Fragoso’s work, adding both visual and conceptual texture, as well as an organic quality. The materials are of great importance in Fragoso’s work. The variety of papers, some glued to natural papyrus fiber, point to an admiration of the past and deep knowledge of art history. Inspired by art history and maybe also by his time on the plantation, the use of traditional techniques such as painting, drawing and etching “exerts an irresistible attraction” to the artist, in this computerized age of technology.
The papers and papyrus, often naturally marled with fern and leave prints, provide the first layer of texture to Fragoso’s paintings. The artist then adds other layers of texture with the use of various papers atop each other. This technique and Fragoso’s style of painting makes his figures appear almost three dimensional, adding visual depth to his paintings and a lifelike quality to each figure.
The characters in Fragoso’s work are spontaneous expressions. There are no intentions of telling stories or showing a pictorial narrative. The artist paints from the subconscious without rationality or plan to create work expressing solely the power of imagination. He wants the viewer to appreciate the innate beauty, intensity, complexity and raw emotions of the paintings and allow the feelings that his work evokes to take precedence.
Partal installation view at Carol Jazzar Contemporary Art.
The three bodies of work represented in Works on Paper, are very primal, visceral and based on instinct. Fragoso’s large paintings as well as the portraits on papyrus and the series of etchings appeal to our emotional faculty. The sexually charged imagery of humans, animals and imaginary creatures exerts an uncensored and natural power.
Fragoso, who refers to his work as “emotional research” exposes the ambivalent connection between humans and animals and speaks of our human relationships and human behavior without an intellectual discourse. Rather, he focuses on the emotions and primal instinct within us all.
"Carlos Fragoso: Works on Paper" is on view at Carol Jazzar Contemporary Art, 158 NW 91 Street, Miami through Feb. 26.The next exhibition "Chris fennel: say yes" will opens March 1, 2014. For further information, visit www.cjazzart.com.
