This is the art critic Marcus Lontra Costa’s essay about the painter Cláudio Fonseca. In his preamble, Lontra takes a close look at this contemporary artist and concludes that he lives in the moment, in a place where the only possible artistic truth is his own. His subject matter, therefore, can only be art itself, with its constant production and endless references. When the critic examines Fonseca’s work he sees a tribute to painting and to history. In Lontra’s opinion, the artist is a simple colorist who uses the landscape as a means of communing with life. Lontra describes the temporality of his images in the words of another critic, Roberto Puntual, who says that Fonseca’s painting manages to “be distant and be now.” In his closing statement, the critic says that Fonseca learned how to use light from Monet.  

[José] Cláudio [Cavalcanti da] Fonseca (1949–93) was a member of Brazil’s Geração 80. He became known for his colorful canvases and his landscapes, his recurring theme. His sudden death put an end to his career when he was 44 years of age.  

Marcus de Lontra Costa made a name for himself as a critic and curator in the Brazilian art world during that same decade in the movement that enjoyed international support via a number of different art galleries. He was among the critics who gained a measure of fame as a result of their tireless promotion of the Geração ’80, the 80s Generation. The following year (1984) Lontra was one of the organizers of the exhibition Como vai você, Geração 80?

[See other articles by Lontra about the “return to painting” in the ICAA digital archive, as follows: “A essência do prazer” (doc. no. 1110982); and “Luiz Áquila: vai passar, vai ficar (a evolução da liberdade e a persistência da memória)” (doc. no. 1110962)].

[On the subject of the Brazilian art market in the 1980s, see the articles by Jorge Guinle Filho “Papai era surfista profissional, mamãe fazia mapa astral legal: ‘Geração 80’ ou como matei uma aula de arte num shopping center” (doc. no. 1110971); by Roberto Pontual Explode Geração (Rio de Janeiro: Avenir, 1984) (doc. no. 1110991); and by Frederico Morais “Gute Nacht Herr Baselitz ou Helio Oiticica onde está você?” (doc. no. 1110957)].