[Iberê in progress] Making and remaking

Juntos, Iberê e D. Maria produziram mais de 1.500 slides entre as décadas de 1960 e 1970, quando o filme fotográfico colorido começou a substituí-los.

Em muitos casos, fotografaram as obras ao ar livre para ter mais luz e cobriram o fundo com tecido para obter certa neutralidade.

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Forma em tensão, 1970
Óleo sobre tela
93 x 132 cm
Paradeiro desconhecido

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The vast majority of slides are believed to have been produced by Maria Coussirat. 
 
In some cases, they have spots and colors altered by the action of time. 
 
Others also present dark areas demarcated by the artist himself to highlight the work in the center. 
 
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Pássaros (Birds), 1971 
Oil on canvas 
130 x 184 cm 
Private collection 

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Sometimes they record how the artist repositioned some elements, expanded certain areas of color and kept the signature untouched. 
 
They also register, as unique visual documents, works that are still in unidentified collections. 
 
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Signo azul (Blue Sign), 1974 
Oil on canvas 
93 x 132 cm 
Unknown whereabouts 

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There are cases in which Iberê changes only a small area of the painting. 
 
In this example, he adjusts the top of the central composition. 
 
As he has photographed the work in different environments (and with different lighting), these slides have a contrast difference between them. 
 
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Conjunto III (Set III), 1975 
Oil on canvas 
130 x 184 cm 
Private collection 

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In other cases, the change made by Iberê are more evident. Even when maintaining the structure of the elements and, in general, the same color chart. 
 
In this case, the new brush strokes touch the signature, but Iberê does not redo it. 
 
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Conjunto IV (Set IV), 1975 
Oil on canvas 
130 x 184 cm 
Private collection 

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Iberê is also recognized for its scrapes, thick layers of paint and colors mixed directly on the canvas, as if he were sculpting the painting with masses of color. 
 
Some slides show these details, recording the freshness of the paint just applied to the canvas. 
 
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Noturno I (Nocturne I), 1975 
Oil on canvas 
93 x 132 cm 
Private collection 

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In the early 1980s, a symbiosis emerged between the forms of the spool and the die, which would become part of a new series of Iberê, Dice. 
 
When the oil paint is partially dry and covered, it reveals the texture of the bottom layer, as in this example. 
 
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Visão (Vision), 1982 
Oil on canvas 
93 x 132 cm 
Private collection 

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Even with the process of making and remaking, it was not uncommon for Iberê to keep some areas of the painting with little or no paint. 
 
This reveals the canvas texture or the support of the painting on which the work was finally done. 
 
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Dado branco (White Die), 1982 
Oil on canvas 
40 x 57 cm 
Private collection 

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Others were so reworked that it is only possible to identify that two different images refer to the same work through details. 
 
In this case, only the upper left corner maintains the original colors and strokes. 
 
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Prismas e dados (Prisms and Dice), 1982 
Oil on canvas 
93 x 132 cm 
Private collection 

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The first release of paint on the canvas, as well as the sketch, reveals part of the path taken by the artist until the final result. 
 
In this case, it is noticed the rearrangement of some elements on the canvas, the result of the development of the painting during its execution. 
 
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Carretéis dados (Spools Dice), 1982 
Oil on canvas 
84 x 130 cm 
Unknown whereabouts 

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In 1983, Iberê was filmed by Mário Carneiro making a painting for his short documentary, Pintura-Pintura. 
 
This photograph, taken at the entrance to Iberê's residence, is the only record, besides the film, which shows the human figure before being reworked and covered by dice. 
 
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Dados em movimento (Dice in Motion), 1983 
Oil on canvas 
130 x 184 cm 
Private collection 

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From the 1980s, the human figure is once again one of the main themes of Iberê's work. 
 
In this case, we observe how the artist grouped the two sets of figures through a kind of frame and, with special interest in the faces, photographed a detail. 
 
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Eco (Echo), 1985 
Oil on canvas 
100 x 141 cm 
Private collection 

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Known for the frequent use of dark colors, Iberê covered the background of this painting (including the outline of his signature) with a kind of velvet to lower the solar tone that surrounded the central figure. 
 
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Homem de chapéu verde (Man with Green Hat), 1987 
Oil on canvas 
55 x 78 cm 
Private collection 

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There are indications that Iberê started his paintings, usually with orange and bluish tones. 
 
Here, we see that he also inverted the position of the bicycle and covered the horizon, where there was a representation of the Usina do Gasômetro, Porto Alegre's postcard, making the scene even more desolate. 
 
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No vento e na terra I (In the Wind and on the Ground I), 1991 
Oil on canvas 
200 x 283 cm 
Private collection 

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With a vast experience in the craft of painting, Iberê continued to rework some of his canvases. 
 
In this last example, we see, again, that Iberê reinforced the dark and violet tones — which will mark his late work — but kept his signature intact, as a way of establishing his presence. 
 
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As idiotas (The Idiots), 1991 
Oil on canvas 
200 x 250 cm 
Acervo Fundação Iberê