I recently discovered the painting ‘Morro da Penha, Santos’, 1944 by artist Dario Vilares Barbosa. I was drawn to the work by the vibrant reds of the hillside houses and the lush greens of the surrounding forests. The viewpoint fascinated me with the vista of houses perched on the steep hillsides and locals buying exotic fruits and vegetables from a market in the foreground. It is an exciting view of everyday life in the port city of Santos in Brazil.
I later found that the location used to make ‘Morro da Penha’ is very close to an area in Santos which I had also painted. ‘Em Cima’, 2020 depicts a view of the port area of Santos, at night time and the title translates from Portuguese as; ‘at the top’. I made the painting after having visited the city and seen this view and being completely amazed by the twinkling lights on the mountain in the night sky. The area is a ‘favela’ or slum community and it was a complicated experience to see first-hand. ‘Favela’ communities in Brazil may be areas where people live in harder socio-economic conditions and with higher levels of crime. These communities are also at risk of regular landslides which can wipe residents away and completely obliterate neighbourhoods. This awareness provoked heavy feelings but I wanted to explore this duality of emotions and to highlight the beauty of the view and especially the contrast in natural and artificial light. I loved the way the landscape appeared so simplified and abstracted by the low light of dusk. Coming from London, this experience stuck with me and the theme of night time light is something I’ve continued to explore in my work.
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