[Iberê in progress] Making and remaking

The making and remaking of Iberê Camargo's work and the artist's work in search of the final composition.

Iberê Camargo producing the painting "Everything is False and Useless to You II", at the studio of Alcebíades Antônio dos Santos Street (1992)Iberê Camargo Foundation

Iberê Camargo photographed many of his works, especially between the 1960s and 1990s.

These records form a precious documentary organism, allowing the knowledge of an overview of his production.

They also allow us to identify the making and the remaking of the artist, the changes in the composition of the works that show the process of its realization.

Iberê producing the painting "Twilight I", at the studio of the Lopo Gonçalves Street (1983)Iberê Camargo Foundation

Iberê used to say that the hell would be to be with his painting without being able to retouch them.

Ms. Maria, the inseparable companion, used to say that she wanted a trapdoor so that when a work was presumed finished, she would make it disappear from the easel so that Iberê, known for the countless times he remade a work, wouldn’t change it.

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

Form in Tension (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1970, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Form in Tension (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1970, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Forma em tensão (Form in Tension), Iberê Camargo, 1970, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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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 

Bird (in poduction process), Iberê Camargo, 1971, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Bird (in poduction process), Iberê Camargo, 1971, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Pássaro (Bird), Iberê Camargo, 1971, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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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 

Blue Sign (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1974, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Signo azul (Blue Sign), Iberê Camargo, 1974, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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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 

Set III (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1975, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Conjunto III (Set III), Iberê Camargo, 1975, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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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 

Set IV (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1975, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Conjunto IV (Set IV), Iberê Camargo, 1975, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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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 

Noturno I (Nocturne I), Iberê Camargo, 1975, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Nocturne I (detail), Iberê Camargo, 1975, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Nocturne I (detail), Iberê Camargo, 1975, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Nocturne I (detail), Iberê Camargo, 1975, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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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 

Vision (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1982, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Visão (Vision), Iberê Camargo, 1982, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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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 

White Die (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1982, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Dado branco (White Die), Iberê Camargo, 1982, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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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 

Prisms and Dice (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1982, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Prismas e dados (Prisms and Dice), Iberê Camargo, 1982, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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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 

Spools Dice (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1982, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Carretéis dados (Spools Dice), Iberê Camargo, 1982, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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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 

Dice in Motion (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1983, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Dice in Motion, Iberê Camargo, 1983, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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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 

Echo (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1985, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Eco (Echo), Iberê Camargo, 1985, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Echo (Detail), Iberê Camargo, 1985, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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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 

Man with Green Hat (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1987, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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Homem de chapéu verde (Man with Green Hat), Iberê Camargo, 1987, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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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 

In the Wind and on the Ground II (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1991, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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No vento e na terra I (In the Wind and on the Ground), Iberê Camargo, 1991, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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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 

The Idiots (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1991, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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The Idiots (in production process), Iberê Camargo, 1991, From the collection of: Iberê Camargo Foundation
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As idiotas (The Idiots) (1991) by Iberê CamargoIberê Camargo Foundation

Credits: Story

Research and organization
Gustavo Possamai


Translation to English
Henrique Ferrari


All photographic reproductions are part of the Iberê Foundation Documentary Collection.


The Iberê Foundation carries out the mapping of all the artist's works, registered by their places of origin in private and public collections for future cataloging and authentication.


All holders of the artist's works — collectors, gallery owners, public and private institutions — have the opportunity to participate in the process of rescuing this important heritage in the history of Brazilian art. To do so, contact us by e-mail acervo@iberecamargo.org.br.


Every effort has been made to acknowledge the moral rights and copyright of the images in this edition. The Iberê Foundation welcomes any information concerning authorship, ownership, and/or other data that may be incomplete, and is committed to including them in future updates.


© Fundação Iberê Camargo

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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