Lucas Arruda: Deserto-Modelo

This monograph offers an in-depth exploration of the Brazilian painter's atmospheric works, emphasizing their balance between abstraction and figuration.

This comprehensive monograph on Brazilian painter Lucas Arruda delves into his intricate and meditative compositions, showcasing the artist's unique approach to painting. Lucas Arruda: Deserto-Modelo highlights the atmospheric quality of Arruda's work, which skillfully balances abstraction with figuration, imagination with reality. The book presents three distinct groups of paintings—seascapes, jungles, and monochromes—collectively titled Deserto-Modelo, emphasizing their ephemeral and transient nature.

Arruda's paintings, often intimate in size, capture the subtle play of light in seascapes and junglescapes. These works, painted from memory, lack specific reference points, allowing them to transcend reality. The compositions are anchored by a faint horizon line that evokes a sense of distance, making them both familiar and dreamlike. Through evocative brushstrokes, Arruda emphasizes the materiality of paint while engaging with the historical context of the romantic sublime.

Accompanied by meticulous color plates and detailed analyses, author Will Chancellor offers insightful interpretations of Arruda's work, probing themes of artifice and perception. Critic Barry Schwabsky provides further depth by exploring the complexities of Arruda's enigmatic painted surfaces. Overall, Lucas Arruda: Deserto-Modelo serves as a thorough introduction to the thought-provoking and innovative artistry of Lucas Arruda.