Caio Fonseca

The artist Caio Fonseca came to my notice about 5 years ago when I was immersed in researching contemporary abstract painters outside Australia. To see an extensive collection of images visit the artists website . I was seeking work that resonated in some way with my own preoccupations in painting. He was one of quite a number of artists from across the web that I revisited and mused on at length.I found the works to be constructed in an interesting manner, layered and intriguing as the dimensions played with ones seeing. Sensually applied paint, strong forms,refreshing colour palettes, a feeling for space and mystery...plenty to  consider further.

Scratched into a journal were these few quick notes, hopefully accurately documented - here is a statement which I connected with from the artist: "the essence of painting is for me is the secret nature of forms"

Jacquelyn Serwer form the Corcoran Gallery of Art wrote, in 2004(?), that 'Fonseca belonged to those artists with a continuing devotion to early abstract key principals - the creation of art that derives its power from the essence rather than the appearance of things, that relies on the fundamental experience of the visual rather than the narrative, and above all that retains a paramount respect for the process and craft of painting'.

A further comment I have jotted down comes from Peter Scheldjahl (1998?) re the struggle for the abstract to reassert itself in the eyes of many contemporary curators at the time. He cheekily asks he question "did they imagine that people would contentedly read wan texts forever? He postulated "instead...human eyes are hungry for visual and emotional rewards"

I certainly found my research rewarding at that time and continue to find it so. Each time an artist has caused me to stop and enter into their way of seeing is a chance for reflection both on their work and where I am with my own.

Perhaps most fascinating to discover over the years is which artists continue to speak strongly  to oneself and why. This is always a most interesting conversation to have with others.