Lisette Lagnado points out certain interesting aspects she sees in José Leonilson’s work. She notes connections between the painter’s work and what he says when he suggests that a work of art could be both a painting and a letter; not to mention the fact that each work is platonically dedicated to a particular passion. Leonilson claims that he does not snoop around looking for subjects to paint, and that seeing a Wim Wenders movie could well be enough to inspire a painting. Lagnado sees graceful lines and optimism in Leonilson’s art, which is open-handed and generous. In this artist’s painting, according to her, the ink makes a tabula rasa of academic painting, and she adds that this could explain the lack of depth, perspective, and verticality in his canvases. Ultimately, Lagnado sees his work as an epidermal kind of painting, with no layers or raised surfaces, no lights or shadows; everything happens on the same plane.        

This article was published in 1988, when the artist in question had achieved a measure of fame among the members of his generation. In the article, Lisette Lagnado (b. 1961) reviews the work of José Leonilson [Bezerra Dias] (1957–93), an artist from Ceará (a state in the “northeast” of Brazil) who moved to São Paulo where he trained and developed as an artist. He became one of the most famous artists of the “Geração 80” that embraced the “volta à pintura,” a term that had, since the early years of the century, been translated as “retour à l’ordre” or “return to painting”—that is, a hedonistic approach that rejected the rationalism of the conceptual art that had played such a dominant role prior to the 1970s. However, this type of art morphed into an intimist style as the issue of identity confronted his imminent death, a crisis situation that arose when he tested positive for HIV.   

Lisette Lagnado, the researcher, art critic, and writer played an important role in the Projeto Leonilson that was undertaken shortly after the artist’s death (1994), initially intended as way to organize a Catalogue raisonné of his work in order to give it greater exposure. In fact, the book—Leonilson. São tantas as verdades (São Paulo: DBA/Melhoramentos, 1996)—and the above-mentioned exhibition that Lagnado curated in association with the Serviço Social da Indústria are the project’s major accomplishments to date. 

In reference to this matter, see by Lisette Lagnado, “Entrevista com o artista: a dimensão da fala—Interview with the artist: the dimension of speech” [doc. no. 1110767">1110767]; and Leonilson: São tantas as verdades = So many are the truths (São Paulo: DBA/Melhoramentos, 1998) [doc. no. 1110767">1110767].