Art Critcs

Gesture and shape in Dauri Diogo’s work of art

Gesture and shape in Dauri Diogo’s work of art In the exhibition of Shopping Barra, we can see Dauri Diogo’s individual exposition with about thirty oil paintings. Despite of being his second exhibition, this artist showed his deep knowledge of the matter. 

Starting with shapes that remind of the constructivism, he shows, on a monochromatic background, figures with tones that are the opposite of those that gives support for the drawing, expanding in a multicolored scale, where, at moments, he starts from dark to light, or in reverse, making an interesting game, playing with colors and shapes. His work starts from the principle of knowing human gestures, where he explores the necessity of the knowledge of infinity of space and nonexistence of time. 

The theme, that dips in a clear attempt to bring back the momentary reflection, is developed with a realistic point of view, but this does not exclude the observer from his own voyage to the mystery of creation. On the contrary, it induces him to a feeling of verse and reverse, established in the confrontation of seeing and being seen. The painted moments reveal the poetry inside the painter’ soul, that Dauri, with his right perception, shows in pairs, by the fruits of his esthetical creation.

Little news has been revealed in the field of plastic arts. So, we can affirm, with propriety, that this painter will certainly have a career in this segment of visual arts. Maybe the opposite occurs, since destiny is not traced by paint and colors that compose its symphony of tones, but depending on his talent, his intuition is defining his way. The exposition can’t be missed.

Aldo Tripodi
Jornal Tribuna da Bahia
Salvador 23-02-92

Dauri Diogo’s Neo-geo monochromatic art

Anyone can learn how to paint. But it’s much more difficult to establish a definitive signature. Dauri Diogo is the first artist I know that since the first picture he painted, in 1989, he did it in the same style as today.

He makes such a neo-geo monochromatic, which serenity the picture itself takes charge of breaking, seducing the spectator to a psychological arena full of intentions. It is the human being analyzing himself on a divan, meditating or performing,

Dauri says and he also affirms, that he has chosen the pyramidal form in this period of his life, because of its superior energy.

But it is in its dramatic application of tones and sub-tones of the same color and in a match of light between them, that this energy flows reinforcing the mystical idea that the picture’s gestures determine.

The artist is from São Paulo, self-educated, owner of a technical virtuosity that allows him to give shape to light, color and form with innumerable variations of the same idea.

Matilde Matos
Member of “Associação de Críticos de Arte do Brasil”
Member of “Associação de Críticos de Arte Internacional”
Salvador – 1996

Geometrism in Dauri Diogo’s work

From tomorrow on, Dauri Diogo will be showing his works of art at Galeria Arte Viva.

The exposition consists of 22 canvases.

Dauri entitled it as “Equilibrium on Divan”.

The presentation was done by the Critic of Art Matilde Matos, who says: “… he makes such a neo-geo monochromatic, which serenity the picture itself takes charge of breaking, seducing the spectator to a psychological arena full of intentions…”

The geometrism used by Dauri submits to levels of reflection of the color and the shape. In this case, shape is seen by the color that determines the limits. This linear conjunction that runs into the drawing doesn’t draw its intention,

because the drawing, in this case, makes almost no difference to the theme at all. So, the theme is distributed in triangles, repeated in signs, abstracted from the positions of “divan”.

In capturing these moments, Dauri did not want to register, but to emphasize human beings expressions, making use of precise scenes, better said accurate scenes, as the artist’s inaccuracy, when he practices the artistic way of seeing things, in order to see beyond the explicit. On the other hand, the precise and well marked configuration is summarized in small parts of the story as a whole.

His realistic character does not verify a naturalism, but n intention of these moments having a man as a reference, without defining character, but gesture.

The “puppets” suggest some intellectual thoughts, because the artist practices the analysis as a revelation of his painting.

Such order is seeing in used colors what brings a clear feeling of lightness at the background that supports the figures and is developed to apply the pictorial acknowledgment as the basis of the painter idea.

Aldo Tripodi
Salvador 15-05-96
Jornal Tribuna da Bahia

The variety of aspects in Dauri Diogo

Things that are constantly happening with us make me remember of an amorous grandmother of a young painter who was beginning and she, worried about her grandson’ success exclaimed: in a place where there are more painters than civil servants, the success of the painters is very difficult.

Because of this, the young painter Dauri Diogo, who paints with a good abstraction, figurative paints and also surrealism, with a good and right composition, gathers everything in the same picture with pleasant results.

As a painter and owner of his work, he controls color with much assurance.

His pictures offer to the observer a variety of aspects according to the baroque traditions of his city in Bahia, with many and such good painters.

Carlos Eduardo da Rocha
Membro da Associação Brasileira de Críticos de Artes
Salvador 1997

The human figure and the geometric elements in the work of Dauri Diogo

Dauri Diogo, chooses geometric elements in his works, distributing the scene as if we were seeing through a kaleidoscope. And it is exactly this effect, however what is best purified is in the balance between the figure and the geometry elements chosen for the composition; otherwise perfect and harmonic.

The most interesting thing is how the artist plays with the figure and predisposes it in various positions.

However, he does not make a human figure in its literal sense, but symbolic. In this way, a particular poetics operates. It’s not the first time I’ve written about his work.

When he started to paint he already showed a commitment to painting, today he matures, as is natural. However, it is necessary to make it clear, in order to clear the ground on which we are stepping, that maturation takes place with an artist who has qualities. It is not with the passing of the years that the artist “improves”.

It might be the other way around. But if what he makes has quality it’s like wine, the older the better.

On the other hand, this is not to say that what they are “starting” is not worthy of the praise of art critics. It is necessary to understand that good and pure art can be “new” or “old”.

It is from the reading of the work, which is made of it, that it is claimed whether or not it is a work of art, because it is not its creator who gives it status, but what is extracted from it.

Dauri Diogo knows how to compose his creations, he is also rigorous in the treatment of color, and mastery of technique.

He has been imposing an identity on his works. He is not an artist with hasty hands and “climbing” techniques. He is a painter who knows what he is, and what he does, this is the best thing about his career.

Aldo Tripodi
Art Critic Master in Art Theory and History from EBA/UFBA Professor of Art History at UNIFACS and Professor of Art Education at UNEB.
Presentation of the exhibition “2 X 18” (Dauri Diogo and Fred Shaeppi)
Salvador 2005

Poetry of shapes

Dauri Diogo has always used geometric shapes in his work, not in its restricted, formal sense, he just uses elements to create his poetics.

In this exhibition entitled “influences” he takes shapes and decorative elements from the facades of buildings in Pelourinho and superimposes them on their geometric elements. Creating a harmonic and balanced composition.

Another factor is the human figure, also geometrized, which he always puts in his work, a trademark.

Likewise, colors and creation are perfect in the whole work. The figure appears as if it were in a window.

I believe that the artist actually causes a rupture in the formal aspect and inserts the element, as a poetic act, breaking the rigidity that the form can intuit.

Aldo Tripodi
Art critic
Presentation of the exhibition “Influences”
Salvador 2016