The presentation of the exhibition catalog “Isolino Vaz. A Different Man” will close the celebrations of this artist's centenary on June 22, at 18 pm, at the Museu Municipal de Faro.
The launch of this work resulted from a partnership between the Municipal Museum of Faro and Associação Mestre Isolino Vaz, with the support of the Regional Directorate of Culture, Fundação Millenium BCP, União de Freguesias de Faro, Montenegro Parish Council, Montenegro Airport Faro and RADIS.
the island of Farothere, in Faro, «has become his summer refuge since the mid-60s, and beyond. There he spent long periods of time, cultivating friendships, memories and works of art », describes the Câmara de Faro.
Rogério Bacalhau, President of the City Council of Faro, draws attention to this detail, «because not being from Faro, he ended up taking our territory to the world, talking about it, painting it, enjoying in a very intense and peculiar way the inspiring characteristics that he felt there».
The mayor also highlights the importance of «exhibiting and investigating», as a path that «leads to good results, namely with the edition of catalogues, perennial signs of an activity that has made us discover people, stories, objects and that we must continue to boost, to form audiences, maintain a close connection with the academy and, above all, attract visitors' eyes to the beauty that, in our region, goes far beyond environmental or architectural heritage».
About Isolino Vaz (Vila Nova de Gaia, 1922 – Lisbon, 1992):
«He stood out as a visual artist and dedicated pedagogue, having taught cultural personalities such as Álvaro Siza Vieira or Joana Vasconcelos.
His training and experience determined a versatile style, tending towards neorealism and a restless production, revealing a different facet of Portuguese art in the XNUMXth century.
In order to develop his creative force, he embraced several artistic disciplines, showing an expressiveness that won him countless admirers. A Different Man, among other reasons, for his character as a reserved artist, far from the circuits and intentions of the artistic market; or by the defense of humanistic and solidary artistic principles, oriented towards the improvement of the human condition.
The themes of his works gradually centered on the representation of the people, aligning with an idea of “social painting” framed by the Portuguese neorealist movement. Returning to the humanist values of nineteenth-century realism, neorealist art is marked by a strong social content. It focuses on the representation of the common man, the worker and peasant way of life, denouncing inequalities and the current social model and transforming anonymous figures from the world of work into resistant heroes.
As a painter, Isolino Vaz combines a wide range of work as a sculptor, ceramist, illustrator, engraver, muralist, caricaturist, designer of medals, stained glass windows for churches and architectural decorations. Portraits – as a reflection of the soul – are one of his favorite expressions, while also portraying social injustices, children, family and popular figures.
He always divided his time between the studio and the classrooms. He taught, namely at the Soares dos Reis School of Decorative Arts (Porto) and at the Marquês de Pombal Secondary School (Lisbon), becoming a reference figure for students such as Álvaro Siza Vieira, António Guimarães (Guima), or Joana Vasconcelos».
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