Can we imagine Guyana without its birds? Certainly not Vanderlei Fracalossi who lives with birds, observes them, loves them, admires them and paints them. A pictorial enhancement that can be discovered at the Pagaret Center at the entrance to Montjoly where the paintings of this artist from south-eastern Brazil are exhibited until August 26.
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Published on August 2, 2022 at 5:19 p.m.,
updated on August 2, 2022 at 6:11 p.m.
“Colour feathers” is the title of the exhibition by Vanderlei Fracalossi, a Brazilian turned Frenchman who has lived in Guyana for 30 years. A native of Espìrito Santo, a state in southeastern Brazil, the artist finally seems to be coming out of his gangue following a very long retirement. In 1998, he had participated in a traveling group exhibition of the association Culture plurielle and since then, had not shown anything.
Le toucan vu by Vanderlei Fracalossi
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It took him 24 years and confinement to revive himself and thus dare to discover himself to the public. Meanwhile, Vanderlei Fracalossi worked in acrylic, pastel and especially charcoal drawing. Essentially hyper-realistic portraits, sacred art, Guyanese still lifes and also sculpture with cardboard and recyclable material. These 20 years have been profitable to him:
“I contacted the head of the Pagaret Center last year… when you go a long time without exhibiting, it’s difficult to show yourself… you fear the eyes of others… it was not an easy challenge to combine my work as a graphic designer at the Museum of Guyanese Cultures and painting. I worked a lot to make my paintings… I am self-taught, I started at the age of 14 and at 25, I took the plunge… and today I am back…”
Vanderlei Fracalossi painter explains the work done on his paintings
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Fracalossi does not claim to belong to a particular pictorial current, however his painting is part of naturalistic realism. The precise details of the birds, the transcription of the looks, the colors, the plumages, the movement of the flights, all this is perfectly transcribed in a universe specific to the artist who chooses with meticulous care the elements of development of the different species. chosen.
“Birds were already present in my childhood in Brazil, but arriving here was different. We are much closer to the birds. There is a very large variety, we have at least 8 species that come to our house every day. At my work, in the center of Cayenne, it’s the same, there is the bishop’s tanager, there is a nest of woodpeckers from Guyana, there are parakeets, kikiwis etc…, birds for me are beauty, freedom and balance… for the last two years, I had this need for freedom. »
And the universe of the artist has pleased. Within a few days, most of his works have been sold and on the guestbook, the comments are glowing…
The guest book of the exhibition “Couleurs plume” already full of glowing comments
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Vanderlei Fracalossi with Italian and Brazilian origins adopted Guyana: “They say there is a lot of violence but for me it’s a paradise, there are no big storms, here it’s a paradise. I love Guyana…”.