2011
interview
2003 – "Democracy Stuff, according to António Dulcídio" . Interview to the weekly journal "O Norte Desportivo" – Published in October 18th, 2003. Author - Pedro Miguel Gonçalves
LACK OF A CULTURE POLICY
A surrealist painter who wants to paint the truth. Contradiction? The surrealism
is not a lie; it is simply what is not understood by the rational beings.
Through realism, António Dulcídio criticizes. Through surrealism, he dreams. He
would like people to buy just what is useful. Art for example. He asks for
respect in the markets, on the streets, in the day-to-day life of the Portuguese
people. And he awaits for a citizenship education policy. Or better Education
policy to educate the people. Surrealisms...
Who is Antonio Dulcídio?
Anthony was born in the village of Lixa - today, the city of Lixa. He live for
15 years, and finally come to Oporto, to study. He started painting very early,
at 10, 11 years ... My second grade teacher should have some of my first
paintings. He has no academic training in painting, and begun as an autodidact.
He work to live, like most Portuguese painters in Portugal. He think that
an artist should not sell their works.
When you are subject to market and critics, you can not create
the truth.
Would you like living only from the painting?
Yes, but that would
require an income that allowed me to full-time dedication, without being
dependent on the works for a living, otherwise they will not create the truth,
not to have freedom to create. Would not want to subject myself to the will of
customers who had asked me a green frame to match with the curtains.
How
many paintings had you
sold?
I have a total of about 110 paintings and sold 40.
What dou you like to paint?
Like almost all self-taught, I began to paint what I saw. The initiation was
done in Impressionism and Realismn. My favorite is Surrealism.
Making art in Portugal, is a surreal mission ...
It is difficult ... The
market is small, almost ten million people in Portugal. Moreover, we have a very
weak middle class, which is not sensitive to questions of art. Who can invest in
art, has other priorities such as a washing machine, a new stove, adequate
housing? There are very serious social problems that limit the mission of those
who want to do nice things ...
Not al all. Just give up painting who paints it for other reasons. A scene from day to day, a photograph, an idea, along with the imagination and leads us to "run into the screen ', morning, afternoon or early morning. But our imagination is always conditioned, because nobody can represent something unknown. The painter can not invent anything new. It has to start from a point or a line. Then there are the textures and colors. And there's what we've seen. We use different techniques, but they are invented.
Some of the currently recognized painters had to leave Portugal. They went to Paris to London, built a curriculum abroad in order to find success. Today, a painter 'normal' may build the curriculum, through a new 'weapon' ...
The Internet. Allows us to be, not on a par with those artists, but closer to the recognition.
It has its own gallery on the Internet.
It is open to all artists who do not live in this art. And every day brings new contacts, which will probably never appear otherwise. Even if we exposed our works abroad. I already received contacts from people from different countries, even Brazil, which want to expose, to make this cultural exchange. This week will see a reformulation of this gallery.
Copyrighted © by António Dulcídio
contact: antoniodulcidio@gmail.com