S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Carlos Matuck, 50 years old, a fine artist from the city of S\u00e3o Paulo, has his two feet on the East. Firstly, it is obvious, because of his origins: he is a grandson of Lebanese on both sides of the family. The second reason is not that obvious. Matuck is fascinated with a Middle East located a bit farther than the Arab countries \u2013 China. An 18-day trip of nine different cities that he took in 1994 changed his life forever. Ever since, ideograms, Chinese brushes and paper, and features of the country’s paintings are present in his work.<\/p>\n
His fascination with Chinese painting \u2013 or better yet with the various styles that it comprises \u2013 is justified in several ways, but most of all because of the unexpected. \u201cI returned from China with the certainty that we know nothing about the country. We do not possess any reference whatsoever about their culture,\u201d he says. Chinese writing is also particularly appealing to him. Each ideogram is a true work of art. Therefore, poetry and painting almost get mixed with each other in the land of Confucius. Matuck went so far as to study Mandarin, but found it too difficult and gave up.<\/p>\n
China, however, is only one of the features that permeate his work. Versatility is another one \u2013 he paints, draws, illustrates, does graffiti art, projects huge panels, makes installations. When he started painting, as a schoolboy, he used to draw a lot. He was taught by his older brothers, Artur and Rubens \u2013 the latter of whom is known, among other things, for his children’s book illustrations. Adolescence came, and along with it, graffiti \u2013 a technique that he uses until this day in his panels. The school of architecture remained unfinished. He had no academic background, hence, perhaps, his versatility.<\/p>\n
Presently, many of his works can be seen in S\u00e3o Paulo. Be it inside a unit of SESC, be in the Cultura bookstores, which house huge panels. He also does lots of work commissioned by architects. Not to mention the exhibitions that he does from time to time. In the meantime, his head runs amok with his private projects. <\/p>\n
The prisoners <\/b><\/p>\n
Besides ideograms, Matuck has another passion \u2013 photography. Many works were born out of photographs. \u201cI have been to the centre of S\u00e3o Paulo several times to take snapshots and then paint them out.\u201d One thing that he does not like is sitting still somewhere in the city and paint its landscape. \u201cI get anguished.\u201d He sticks to the photographs. His workplace is an atelier in Embu das Artes, a neighbourhood in the surroundings of S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n
One of his current projects is based on portraits of 19th century and early 20th century prisoners. It all began with a book of photographs of American prisoners. After making several studies of the prisoners’ faces \u2013 front and side \u2013 he had the insight: why not make one about Brazilian prisoners? He went to a penitentiary in S\u00e3o Paulo and after two years of much persistence, red tape and \u201cno’s\u201d, he gained access to the material. He knows that he has a treasure in his hands that can be turned into a beautiful exhibition. For the time being, however, while still struggling with the red tape, he uses the material for making further studies, which he baptised as \u201cRetratos sinal\u00e9ticos\u201d (which can be freely translated as ‘Signaletic portraits’).<\/p>\n
Photography is also his main connection to his family. And he is the guardian of the Matuck family’s iconographic material. One day \u2013 says the artist \u2013 he is going to create a work of art inspired by his family album.<\/p>\n
As he looks at the pictures, he remembers the huge family that he had as a child. His Arab aunts and their kind words. \u201cThey used to say lots of things like \u2018my heart\u2019 or \u2018my eyes,\u2019\u201d he recollects. \u201cThat is why, until this day, all that I can say in Arabic is curse words and tender words.\u201d Out of all his family heritage, Lebanese cuisine is the most present feature nowadays. \u201cThese family get-togethers to eat are a typical feature of gregarious people. A carryover from the times when people used to live in villages.\u201d Now, the only difference is that the family is getting smaller in size. He himself, Matuck, only has one daughter.<\/p>\n
The names <\/b><\/p>\n
The black-and-white photographs make him reminisce on the names of each uncle and aunt. The names, by the way, bring up singular family stories, such as that of aunt Nazira, who the boys used to call \u201cNariza\u201d, or that of aunt Adibe, who was drafted into the army and had to present herself to prove that she was a woman. Adib with an E in the end is a woman’s name. But the Brazilian army was only convinced upon seeing her.<\/p>\n
That is not to mention the simplification \u2013 or adaptation to local names. His mother, for example, Esther Abboud Sim\u00e3o Matuck, was always called by her nickname Zizinha. His maternal great-grandparents, in turn, Eid and Nemere, received Brazilian names: Joaquim and Julia.<\/p>\n
Artistic talent ran in the family since earlier generations. \u201cMy paternal grandfather used to like carpentry. His tools were inherited by uncle Jorge, who became a popular artist and created very interesting and unique work,\u201d he says. \u201cOn my mother’s side (Jubran family) there were people who liked to work with their hands as well, including my mother herself. She used to like painting, and we have a few pictures of hers in store.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matuck has an exhibition scheduled for March 2010 at the Graphias \u2013 Casa da Gravura gallery, in S\u00e3o Paulo. Those willing to get to know the artist’s work better in 2009 can visit his Website: http:\/\/www.carlosmatuck.com.br\/.<\/p>\n
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum <\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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