..... GREAT INVENTION ; THE TIME-MACHINE !!!!!!!

Thanks to new technology , we are now able to display , here , for you , a selection ( two paintings , ... more to come ! ) of " the Australian Period " : one , in fact , was painted thinking of the lava fields of Hawaii ...
Both these subjects , despite the obvious differences in colours and shapes , are rugged landscapes , where human life is well hidden , if existent .... They will , eventually , develop in Marialuisa's eyes , many years later and up to the present times , into an unconscious predilection for a simpler form of art , more essential and pure .....

THE LATEST TWO PAINTINGS : REMINISCENCES .....

THE MILANO OF MY DREAMS !!!!!!!

AN ARTIST DOES'T KNOW ABOUT PRACTICALITIES ,
BUT ..... SHE IS LEARNING FAST !!

When Marialuisa was offered the chance of exhibiting some of her most recent painting , in a newly opened Art-gallery , just a few hundred yards from where she is living , she couldn't believe her luck !!
It was last year , before Christmas and everything looked promising : the venue , in a posh new tourist development ; the choice of other , well reputed , local artists to accompany ( and add variety to ) her 3 paintings ( shown above ) and the kindness of the curator , an artist herself .

Little Marialuisa knew , that , the Art-Gallery was only a " front " , a prestigious tool to help selling apartments at more expensive prices , and that , when the financial goals were achieved , would have turned into a hairdresser's shop !!!!!!!

So , only a week before Christmas , the exhibition , which was planned until January , was abruptly stopped ... and everybody went home ( even possible buyers ... )

This is the price an artist has to pay , for living in a nice , but " touristy " place .....

...... RED , RED ... REDDISSIMO !!!!!!!!!!!!

... and the skies turned .... RED !!!!!!!!!

What might seem a mere detail , is becoming a very specific " trademark " : Marialuisa , living now in a very hot and sunny place , in the year 2000 or so , started her little revolution ... Now a permanent feature , she considers the colour , by which the sky appears in her paintings , quite an important way of expressing strong feelings and arising the attention ( and the expectations too !! ) of the people , which , unfortunately, are surrounded by dull and grey realities .....

LA SERIE AZZURRA : EVORA

( 1999 - 2000 )




In one of her " short trips " , in 1999 , Marialuisa discovered the town of Evora , which draws its architectural mixture and apparent untidiness from a fascinating past .. different cultures , and successive occupations left indelible marks all over the place and have a powerful effect on most visitors .

Marialuisa too succumbed to this eerie atmosphere , and , almost unconsciously , found herself drawing imaginary structures , which , gradually affirmed their right to exist out of the domain of fantasy . In this instance , they took charge of the paintings , in a very powerful manner , and the results that we can see in the 4 examples here shown , are less surreal , than one can imagine !!

The paintings , still , present blue skies but carry already the seeds of the future developments , we will see soon

" Serie Azzurra " : EVORA ( 1999 - 2000 )

" Serie Azzurra " : EVORA ( 1999 - 2000 )

IT LOOKED QUITE COZY ... DON'T YOU THINK SO ??!

More paintings ... more photographs of them !!!!!!!!!!

This time .... You don't need to read ! Just WATCH !!

PHOTOS , PHOTOS .... and more PHOTOS from the LAGOS EXHIBITION !! All for YOU to enjoy ....

...... LAGOS - PORTUGAL 11 to 20 September 2003 .....

Marialuisa found the courage , at last , to organise her first exhibition in what was becoming her country of residence and from where was drawing the inspiration for a series of oils , aptly named " LUDOS " ( plays ) , to signify her joy of life and the irony by which she always has related to her surroundings !! It was a great success of critics and public in general ( mainly , youngsters ) : if she thought of the commercial side , she wouldn't have chosen a small sleepy town in Southern Portugal !

.....VIVA L'ITALIA ... !!!!!!

Marialuisa , at long last , after more than a decade of peregrinations ... returns where she was born !
In Milano , in September / October 1997 , everybody could see what she brought from so far :
varied subjects , ranging from a "Carnival in Venice" , to a surreal Tiananmen Square , a Russian "dream" ( also shown here ) and Indian hot sunsets .

It was only for that exhibition , though , that she remained there : ....after a couple of months , before the foggy winter was looming , Marialuisa was already gone ...

HAWAII and AUSTRALIA ( 1983 - 1996 )

...And you thought that Marialuisa had settled down in a remote South Pacific Island !!
In fact , from there too , she had to go ( a visa wouldn't last forever , if you are a foreigner with bright ideas .. ) and , the following year , 1983 , saw a dramatic change of lifestyle , if not of colours and surroundings ... The tourists go to Hawaii ( especially to the "Big Island ") , in search of peace and relaxation , and they are prepared to pay big money for a week in Paradise : the travel agents promote that destination as one of the most exclusive in the world ....but to the eyes of an artist , the 5-star hotels , which dot the pristine beaches , are only an inconvenience , a minor obstacle between her and the tropical lush of Nature at its best ! And , far from madding crowds , she rediscovered , there , a pleasure for simple , figurative paintings , where light and colours were the main protagonists .

Every now and again , upon commission , Marialuisa practised the art of portrait too , depicting every man ..and his dog !!

But , being a kind of "touristy" place , she didn't find it appropriate to exhibit her works , which she kept ... for the next destination : Australia , a country so huge and inviting , impossible to be missed by whom is a serious Nature-lover !
There , in the Art-Gallery at Noosa Junction and at the Harbour Gallery in Tewantin ( Queensland ) , she found the space she was looking for , not only metaphorically , and , helped by local fellow-artists , exposed two series of oils , which , oddly enough , were painted and inspired by trips in other countries ... like the one we show you here , definitely a Chinese rural landscape .

It was about time to go back to the roots ....
but we leave that for the next episode !!

Here they are , at last , the two paintings of the Tongan period ( ..we had to search deep down , in our dusty archives !! )

Would you like to know how it all happened ? ...and WHERE ????

Well , Marialuisa had studied at the famous "Fine Arts Academy" in Brera - Milano ; she had learnt more practicalities in various painters' ateliers , always in Milano : there she perfected her technique and started to express the talent she was born with ....
Oddly enough , she was also attending the Geology University course , which she almost completed ...

But , Life had in store something completely different for her : she met a guy , which was a keen traveller , and , to follow him everywhere , Marialuisa almost forgot her way : she was learning , experiencing , meeting new people , even changing many perspectives ... but she wasn't painting at all ( only a few sketches , now and again , to retain memories and places , to keep head & hands happy ..) .

We would not have seen more of her peinture , if Marialuisa had not landed in CHILE ..: there , in Zapallar , in front of a new sea , surrounded by the warmth one can only experience in a small village where traditions , friendship and trust are values still kept in high regard , it was possible ( indeed , it was imperative ) to resume oils & brushes .... It helped , a lot , to have met a local artist , a self-taught "naive " painter , Arturo Rojo , who , probably gave her good advice , and , above all , a great encouragement . It was 1979 , she was 26 years old and more than ready to become herself ..... In that period , Marialuisa painted everywhere , on any surface she found available ( cardboard was there almost for free ...) ; subjects abounded there : landscapes , marinas and portraits , which , unfortunately , we cannot show here ( they were all sold to local people , and , some , lost in successive moving .... The colours , already bright and vivid , reflected the nature of the place , and , will leave a permanent trace in all the future works .

It didn't last long ( a couple of years ..) , before the appeal of those roaring waves started teasing , again , her desire of adventure and discovery : off she went , setting sail into the Pacific ....following the wake of GAUGAIN .....

....Marialuisa landed in many islands : French Polynesia , Samoa , Fiji , New Caledonia , and , out of the touristy trends , it was TONGA , without electricity or running water , the place chosen to lead a simple , natural life and ....paint !!
From , that period , we can show a couple of small canvases ,dated 1982 : one of a local "beauty", a teenager , and the other , an intriguing portrait of her "landlord" .

Well , until the next instalment ... enjoy those !!