A AUSÊNCIA (THE ABSENCE)

Excerpt of the text of A Ausência (The Absence) polyptych in the catalogue of the Brasilia.Half a Century of the Capital of Brazil exhibition (2013)

Brasilia had already been orphaned twice,
when Juscelino Kubitschek then Lúcio Costa left her.
And then last year in 2012 before Christmas, ten days ahead of his hundred and five years birthday, it was the turn of the architect with a child’s sad smile to part company to the city.
In his cathedral since then, Ceschiatti’s angels cry.

He had written on a wall in his studio in Copacabana, with this
writing of his that was a pure drawing and did become a work of art whenever he would hold a pen : "Life is more important than architecture". Indeed, life brings us friendship and love. He said also once : "I do not deliver to others the architecture that they expect from me, I make the one that I like". Too bad for those who don’t -who cares!
What a lesson.

Of all these works, and of all these moments that I spent painting Brasilia, which ones should I now remember -and above all how could I not pay tribute to the architect with a child’s sad smile ? Life is more important than architecture, and more important than painting –of course it is.

Thus when you, master architect Oscar Niemeyer, you left us, I
did as the angels did in the cathedral that you had created in the heart of Brazil. And today, master architect, I believe that you do inhabit this painting.

I know you are there, for sure.
I believe that you just went away on a trip, a journey towards the Dawn, that will never end.

So, whenever I think of you, it is not about your departure.

It is only about your absence.

March of 2013