This could be the beginning
of a beautiful friendship, between the artist and the
worldwide art lovers community. I know this has the
makings of a good punch line, but it's a good starting
point, for whatever is coming up along the communication
express on- going stimulating process, concerning the
life and Oeuvre of one of the most controversial and
unique artists of today's contemporary art times. This
is no B movie whatsoever, rather a real- life play,
where anything can happen, even the unexpected, unpredictable,
unthinkable, unanswered and why not, even the unacceptably
unspeakable. So let the dice roll and the show must
go on, mysterious, delicious, contemporary, abstract,
mystic and Neo-Surrealistic. Day time art studio living
or lively night shift wandering, it's just wonderful
to know art is being made based upon true facts, meanwhile
real-life facts are being put down in words based upon
the overview across the realms of artistic imagery.
Free expression speech communication provides us once
again with the priviledge of being in touch, sharing
and exchange criterions of all sorts, tendencies and
styles. Most importantly, we are here and now setting
the measures of exciting multiple ideas, ideals, concepts
and references. Writing and speaking on behalf of a
contemporary fine art project, larger than life, and
describe what art lovers should know about The Life
and Oeuvre of an artist indeed making way for one of
the most charming, eclectic and visually awesome art
collections in today's artscene, turns out to be a truly
fulfilling and rewarding experience, an exciting daily
ritual I certainly wouldn't give up, not even for all
the gold in the world. Life is a mysterious adventure
for all of us, a wonderful odyssey for many of us who
have the pleasurable privilege to be able to enjoy all
forms of expression, all forms of art, music, literature,
poetry, motion pictures, architecture...and in this
particular dimension, visual arts, yet more specifically,
contemporary art. And precisely it is in this awesome
universe that we are indeed bound to be in touch, able
to share and communicate and most importantly looking
forward to grow in knowledge, perception, sensitiveness,
information, education, culture and artistic erudition.
At the contemporary headquarters, Antonio Pessoa's Studio
1, is indeed where everything really happens. Did I
say everything? Yes. Everything and anything. Particularly
and most important of all within the artist's mind,
right where the visualization borns, grows up, gains
context and concept and usually takes off like a supersonic
idea speeding up across the cybernetic timeless space!
Being an artist in today's competitive world requires
a whole lot more than self-control, patience, determination,
artistic quality, public relations know-how and supreme
imagination. As a matter of fact, indeed, one actually
has got to be an ultimate genius, particularly when
it comes to human resources management, aiming at implementing
motivation and the perfect dynamic mindset in everyone,
one way or another, among the Project collaborators
team. Stimulating and difficult task, at the same time.
These days, Antonio Pessoa finds himself in the middle
of a truly brainstorming multiple-projects breathtaking
challenges full-swing agenda. From San Francisco to
Paris, from London to Madrid, his endless list of coworkers
contacts and systematic phone ringing interferences,
indeed turns out to be a racing unavoidable on-going
play on his daily life, providing him with a substantial
extra-burden from which inevitably derive scant idyllic
moments let alone eventually some headaches to go with.
However, in spite of this tension-filled daily- weekly
flurry bursts,(what do you know)somehow the artist successfully
manages to maintain a pleasurable harmonious atmosphere
in his art studio, social life and professional commitments
cinematic flux. Definitely, Antonio Pessoa's life could
be a quality movie script, always challenging, fascinating,
adventurous and new. In the mean time it's rather entertaining
and even amusing just to witness the way people continuously
respond to his magnet-like positive energy, and particularly
witness how he always seems to be living on the edge
throughout his eight days a week dynamic working rhythm,
managing sooner rather than later to strengthen those
whose hearts are fully commited to his multiple projects.
That's life, that's the life, that's the larger than
life lifestyle! Lately, one of Pessoa's best friends,
Boris Dainville, asked him "How much courage does
it take to be an artist?". The painter, standing
in front of the huge easel, slowly turned around and
told him with this childlike enigmatic expression of
startled innocence on his face "The question, Boris,
is how much courage would it take me not to be one.
"Remarkable.Fact! Since 1997, when I first met
Antonio Pessoa, I've been having the almost preverted
privilege to record (and therefore evaluate and consequently
report...) amazing episodes, unexpected changes, absolute
dillematic crossroads, sometimes turning into a truly
nail- biting decision taking struggling urgency, and
ending up in yet just another full-swing display of
everything-or-nothing spectacular, even unspeakable,
love, sweat and tears sort of adventures. Nevertheless,
he always did manage to go back to his studio(wherever
it might have been at any specific point of his recent
past colorful life...) and get down to work once again,
totally focused, coming up with new artistic surprises,
and most importantly remaining miraculously untraumatized
as if nothing had happened. Nothing at all! Boris Dainville,
tired of London's full-swing day in day out and social
nightlife british gossip, comes once again to spend
the weekend with the artist, and in the mean time gets
off his chest all that physical and psychological pressure
and stress of his current lifestyle circunstances. The
both keep each others company, enjoying good conversation
as always and in so doing once again establishing their
similar outlooks of metropolitan life's pros and cons,
existencialism-based black humor fluent literacy, and
obviously, modern art, contemporary art, poetry, music,
motion pictures, gossip, philosophical frequently asked
questions, History, religion and more gossip. Boris
loves Antonio Pessoa's latest contemporary fine art
series, and sits for hours and hours in a row talking
and watching the artist at work, while they go on and
on exchanging the most interesting subjects available,
still with more gossip updates to go with it. At last,
FM Music playing on the cosy restaurant's old 60's radio,
it's 8 p.m., saturday evening, as we have dinner in
front of the sea, our visual charming beach bar and
grill with a full menu of great mediterranean sea food,
after which we enjoy our sunset cocktails, first chatting
randomly then inevitably leading to more intimate conversation
and at last planning our trip to West Hollywood. However,
the artist doesn't seem to share our systematic interest
in one of my favorite cities, Los Angeles, let alone
leave the comfort of his Home Studio for a (maybe boring
for him...) cultural calendar in southern California.
Antonio Pessoa's Home Studio, always the idyllic fine
art cathedral where his intimate friends always seem
to be leaving reality behind and enter the world of
tomorrow's art fantasy.Fact. That's Life! Antonio Pessoa
these days is working on more than twenty canvases simultaneously,
let alone the watercolors super-production taking place
at his Studio 7. No big deal for the artist, if you
ask me. As a matter of fact it seems quite an easy-to-do
multi-tasking process for the vital energy generating
dynamic studio veteran. Boris Dainville and myself,
sunny Sunday afternoon, we take a sit at the artist's
Studio 1 as he finishes "That's Life", acrylic
on canvas. Another charming symphony of colors, or shall
we say, another visual delight symphonic contemporary
fine art victory. "That's Life" is obviously
reflecting Pessoa's latest full-swing daily-weekly striking
motion picture, from his art studio breathtaking performance
to his professional commitments overloaded agenda, from
his personal life's outs and abouts to the challenging
multiple projects he and his brainstorming collaborators
from all over Europe, United States and even Latin America,
are unquestionably fully commited to and by all means
absolutely excited and enthusiastic about. That's Life!
That's Antonio Pessoa's colorful and increasingly exciting
life at his worldwide performance very best. Eventually
breaking traditional patterns, this time it was Boris
Dainville who actually came up with the accurate title
"That's Life", for this polychromatic polimotion
spectacular and even ambiguously entertaining contemporary
abstract neo-surrealistic mainstream cutting-edge fine
art canvas. Furthermore, I must claim, one of my favorites
among the artist's most recent series. My opinion (
as an art critic and art collector ) leading to suggest
a special public attention to Pessoa's on- going artistic
quality achievements, where the striking visual impact
makes a relevant difference between the current average
and by all means Antonio Pessoa's unquestionable innovative
contemporary new line. That's quality art! That's Life!!!!
