CANATO
Presented By
Regiane Yuki Sabanai
Walking the line between reality and insanity, the heavens and the inferno.
For several years now, Brazilian painter Canato, 55, spends his days on scaffoldings, immersed in his murals. At the end of 2019 he concluded his mural based on Don Quixote, the most famous work of Cervantes (1547-1616), located at Miguel de Cervantes high school in São Paulo.
The 50m2 (538ft2) mural has 13 scenes from Don Quixote, carefully elaborated along a timeline of Spanish painting, from classic to modern. As an homage to the great Spanish painters, Canato included characters from the famous works of 16 Spanish painters, placed within the context of Don Quixote.
Canato also spent 5 years transforming The "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) into a colossal 80m2 (861ft2) painting located at the prestigious school in São Paulo which shares the same name as the poet.
The importance of painting these murals in schools goes beyond simply illustrating great works of literature. The presence of an artist realizing a work for months or even years transforms the space, piquing the interest of children not just for the painting that is in the works, but also for the work of art which is the very act of everything and everyone together. The kids get involved and interact with the painting which, along with the participation of teachers, can be incorporated into learning various subjects.
With the same objective of bringing kids deeper into the universe of the arts, practice and creation, Canato also created a collection of art history for kids called "Dom das Artes" (Dom of the Arts).
The principal character Domênico is known as Dom. In Portuguese his name has a double meaning, because "dom" also means "inate ability" or "talent". Dom is a curious boy who is very interested in art. He discovers a magic portal where he travels in time and visits artists- ending up in locations that have inspired important works of art and talking with the artists to understand what life was like in those specific locations at those times. He discovers that the great artists are not unreachable masters- on the contrary they become friends. After he learns the difficulties and challenges each artist had gone through, he is able to identify and resolve his own issues with more ease, showing his friends and peers that everyone can be like him.
Canato wrote all of the text and hand painted the books, including all of the reproductions of classic works. The first five books are: Leonardo Da Vinci, Aleijadinho, Hokusai, Van Gogh and Dante.
Biography
Born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1965. Graduated with a bachelor's in visual communication from the Mackenzie University in 1986.
From 1984 to 1986 frequented João Rossi's studio, developing works of metal etching and water colors.
Since 1985 has painted panels, murals, chapels e expositions
Jury member for multiple art salons in the state of São Paulo
Wrote and illustrated a collection of books for kids
From 2000 to 2004 taught drawing and painting at Lecy Beltran's studio.
From 2010 to 2016 painted the Divine Comedy murals and gave lectures about them.
In 2017 finished the painting of Baptismal chamber of the Paróquia Assunção de Nossa Senhora in São Paulo.
From 2018 to 2019 created the mural about Don Quixote at Miguel de Cervantes high school in São Paulo.
Artist statement:
"The human figure is the focus of my attention, and has always been present in my work. Throughout the years my figures have gained more details and anatomy, becoming ever more complex. I see the symbolism as a key to decoding things. Through the use of symbols I reinterpret and try to redefine old themes."
Canato has been studying human anatomy at the college of medicine at the University of São Paulo since 2019.
Contacts :
Website – www.canato.com.br
Instagram - @canatojc
The 50m2 (538ft2) mural has 13 scenes from Don Quixote, carefully elaborated along a timeline of Spanish painting, from classic to modern. As an homage to the great Spanish painters, Canato included characters from the famous works of 16 Spanish painters, placed within the context of Don Quixote.
Canato also spent 5 years transforming The "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) into a colossal 80m2 (861ft2) painting located at the prestigious school in São Paulo which shares the same name as the poet.
The importance of painting these murals in schools goes beyond simply illustrating great works of literature. The presence of an artist realizing a work for months or even years transforms the space, piquing the interest of children not just for the painting that is in the works, but also for the work of art which is the very act of everything and everyone together. The kids get involved and interact with the painting which, along with the participation of teachers, can be incorporated into learning various subjects.
With the same objective of bringing kids deeper into the universe of the arts, practice and creation, Canato also created a collection of art history for kids called "Dom das Artes" (Dom of the Arts).
The principal character Domênico is known as Dom. In Portuguese his name has a double meaning, because "dom" also means "inate ability" or "talent". Dom is a curious boy who is very interested in art. He discovers a magic portal where he travels in time and visits artists- ending up in locations that have inspired important works of art and talking with the artists to understand what life was like in those specific locations at those times. He discovers that the great artists are not unreachable masters- on the contrary they become friends. After he learns the difficulties and challenges each artist had gone through, he is able to identify and resolve his own issues with more ease, showing his friends and peers that everyone can be like him.
Canato wrote all of the text and hand painted the books, including all of the reproductions of classic works. The first five books are: Leonardo Da Vinci, Aleijadinho, Hokusai, Van Gogh and Dante.
Biography
Born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1965. Graduated with a bachelor's in visual communication from the Mackenzie University in 1986.
From 1984 to 1986 frequented João Rossi's studio, developing works of metal etching and water colors.
Since 1985 has painted panels, murals, chapels e expositions
Jury member for multiple art salons in the state of São Paulo
Wrote and illustrated a collection of books for kids
From 2000 to 2004 taught drawing and painting at Lecy Beltran's studio.
From 2010 to 2016 painted the Divine Comedy murals and gave lectures about them.
In 2017 finished the painting of Baptismal chamber of the Paróquia Assunção de Nossa Senhora in São Paulo.
From 2018 to 2019 created the mural about Don Quixote at Miguel de Cervantes high school in São Paulo.
Artist statement:
"The human figure is the focus of my attention, and has always been present in my work. Throughout the years my figures have gained more details and anatomy, becoming ever more complex. I see the symbolism as a key to decoding things. Through the use of symbols I reinterpret and try to redefine old themes."
Canato has been studying human anatomy at the college of medicine at the University of São Paulo since 2019.
Contacts :
Website – www.canato.com.br
Instagram - @canatojc