Portugal Nadir Afonso FDC

Portugal FDC
Name: Portuguese Artist (Nadir Afonso)
Issue date: 2007 September 5th

Born in 1920 in Codeçais, Chaves, he completed an Architecture Degree at esbap (Oporto School of Fine Arts), moving to Paris in 1946 to study art and painting at the École des Beaux Arts. His predilection for painting over architecture manifested itself at an early stage, along with his continuing search for essences and absolute.

His work under architects Le Corbusier (1948-1951) and Oscar Niemeyer (1952-1954) did nothing to alter his conviction that "architecture is not an art [...] it is a science, a team elaboration" and a "labyrinth of contingencies" in which art cannot assert itself.

He was a member of the artist collective the "Independentes" (Independents) alongside Resende, Lanhas, Pomar until 1946, and by 1943 was already fascinated by optics and geometry, although his paintings were expressionist, if not at times surrealistic. During the 40s, he progressively evolved from human figuration with supple contours, to geometric abstraction evoking landscapes, a drift that began above all while working alongside artists Fernand Léger (1948-1951) and Dewasne and Edgard Pillet. Geometric abstraction was further explored during the 50’s with a greater use of patterns in his so-called "baroque" period, and "Egyptian period" series marked by total geometric stylization (1950-1955) and his famous series of kinetic works, Espacillimité (1956-1963). He was part of the group of the Denise René gallery, exhibiting alongside Vasarely, Herbin and Bloc.

In the mid 60s he abandoned architecture, and during the 70s and 80s painted a prolific number of works for his "cities" series. At the end of the 80s, he made a number of studies of the human form using lines identical to those found in the backgrounds and compositional relations of geometry and gesture.

His books La Sensibilité plastique (1958), Les Mécanismes de la création artistique (1970), Aesthetic Synthesis (1974), Le Sens de l’Art (1983) are all products of the aesthetic reflection so characteristic of his work.