José Escada (1934-1980) - Untitled, 1965 - Gouache and Indian ink on paper, 19.2 x 28 cm CGM-MC, inv. DP1066

Untitled

1965

In the mid-1960s, José Escada furthered his visual explorations in a new series of works within which he sought a return to the language of drawing, once more considering the lines and contours of figures and objects as fundamental elements of the image, combining them with his genuine interest in colour and the luminous contrasts that could be obtained through it. In this drawing, the artist showcases his expertise in creating a graceful image of exquisite vibrancy and transparency in the limited space provided by the paper. It is produced from a design based on a combination of rhythmically and flexibly arranged organic signs: organs, tissue, membranes, lines, folds, pleats, and curves isolating planes of colour, forming a chain of signs that are large and small, broad and narrow, concave, convex, contiguous.

The rhythmic concept is supported by the treatment of colour and light, as if giving us a focus that is beyond the image, illuminating the cluster of signs in the centre of the paper, breathing life into them. The high spiritual value that José Escada sometimes attributed to luminous matter appears perfectly envisioned here, revealing a finesse akin to that of a stained glass maker. Through the ingenious use of coloured signs, Escada declares his appreciation for the idea of the work as a revelation and an enigma, through the suggestion of exterior light emanating from a virtual place beyond the image plane, crossing it through the centre and radiating from there in an aura. Through the action of light, of creation, the organic matter becomes a basic biomorphism, a primitive world of quasi similitude and molecular aggregation, of tissues and organs in formation, arms and branches, stems and stalks, filaments, growths and pleats, the mystery of life enshrined and reiterated by the transparent shine of the whites, yellows, and ochres, in contrast with the blues and violets, on a ruby coloured background. As well as the pulse of life, in these colours we can also make out the language of a laicised Christian mysticism: on a background of the blood of suffering, the tracery of the white and gold light of the revelation, and the violet of the passion.

Ana Filipa Candeias

Updated on 31 july 2016

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