We have just received Chico Liberato's painting "Humanos/Felinos" (Humans/Felines) from Brazil. The painting is 60 centimeters square, about 23 inches across- but, like most of his work, has an energetic presence that is much larger than the physical space it takes up. I've had the experience with his work of having to clear off an entire wall to give his paintings, even of this size, enough room to breathe. What always astonishes me about Chico's paintings, beyond their technical virtuosity, is the way that they read completely differently depending on how far away from them you are standing. Up close, the intricate details of the feathers and the texture of the jaguars are what stands out, as well as the expression on the faces of the dancers. From about six feet away what starts to happen is that the band of dark green outlining the dancers and the jaguars begins to come alive in its own right, and the rest of the canvas begins to appear as if it is radiating away from this green 'creature' that has suddenly emerged. Again, Chico's use of color is such that if you are focusing on the green band, the colors of the cactus and the light rays around the dancers heads begin to vibrate, since your eye can't see these colors next to eachother without them flickering. And that is when the canvas truly comes alive, and you begin to see it as a dynamic visual field that is awake and changing. My god the man can paint!
