About the Author

In 2009, Artur Ferreira began his artistic career with the aim of sharing his ideas through images. Following the principle that he paints ideas and not things, Artur Ferreira decided to paint his life experience, his concerns and to convey a message of sustainability.

His first solo exhibition took place in the Algarve in 2014 and his second two years later in La Coruña (Spain). In 2017, Artur Ferreira was invited to take the 3rd year of the painting course at the Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes in Lisbon. Since then, he has collaborated with this society and has taken part in several group exhibitions organised by it in Lisbon and Aljustrel. In 2023 he also exhibited at the CódigoDesign Gallery in Porto and the Galerias de Santo António in Monchique (see Exhibitions).

In 2023, the sharing of ideas through images became a study book. The work "Fundamentalism" was published in Religion textbooks and commented on in study centres in Germany and Austria.

About the Art

Artur's concerns are divided into three main themes: structuring themes; sustainability; and discovery of oneself and the other. There are several collections on each of these themes. The structuring themes are related to the fundamental questions that define us as people - God; the purpose of life (being born and dying); and the awareness of the infinite.

With a profoundly humanist education and training, in sustainability Artur paints collections about Values and current politics, contributing to projects in which citizens of different nationalities, languages, cultures, races and religions seek to live in community with common goals. Sustainability also includes the places where people live together, and in this case the author emphasizes in his paintings the elements that make these places unique. Social sustainability is only possible while respecting natural balances. Nature is not only a theme of the collection, but also defines much of the author's style.

Finally, on a more individual level, there is the theme of discovering the one self and the other. These collections centre on painting each person's personal characteristics and their relationship with others, their feelings and their interactions. The vision of other artists on these subjects, expressed in other art forms, is also the subject of some works.

In pictorial terms, Artur reconciles the traditional technique of oil painting with the introduction of rocks, minerals, gems and other elements in the artworks. The use of oil paints is intended to prolong the drying time, the interaction of the colours and enhance their brilliance.

The introduction of rocks, minerals and gems is intended to promote nature as it is, becoming an integral part of the symbolism and aesthetics of the artwork. It acquires a new complexity and becomes three-dimensional. 

When interpreting the painting, the viewer is confronted with the need to reconcile the characteristics of natural elements with the shapes and colours of the work, and will thus tend to value nature and its aesthetics more, and establish a new balance between culture and nature.