We have been following Rodrigo Branco for a while now, and after seeing him paint a lovely portrait mural in the Swiss alps recently (covered), it’s great to see him having a solo show at Homegrown Galeria in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Opened on 8th of October, Efígie (effigy) includes seven signature portrait pieces created for this show using mixed mediums such a acrylic and spray paint on canvas.
This series is an ode to times passed when portraits and busts represented the soul of the person. Both expressive and almost abstract at first, the Brazilian artist’s works are inspired by his perception of the world as a child with severe vision impairment. Seeing people, especially circus performers in his neighborhood, as patches of colors and a mix of features, left a huge mark on him. By applying layers of thick acrylic and spray paint on canvas, he re-creates these images from his distant memory in the form of emotive textured portraiture.
