Men at work
Despite being fundamental to the constitution of Chico da Silva’s work as we know it today, the existence of a collaborative studio around the artist was misunderstood at the time. This resulted in persecution by both the media and agents in the artistic field, who considered the works of the Pirambu School to be fake.
In 1977, an event transformed this scenario: at the April Salon – a traditional exhibition of the Ceará art circuit—the artist and his collaborators carried out the collective and open-to-the-public painting of a large panel, recorded in photographs and Super 8 films. Titled Men at Work, this work-performance was proposed by the Chico da Silva and Pirambu School Study Group, formed by artist Hélio Rola, historian and restorer Gilberto Brito, and researcher David Silberstein. This initiative aimed to publicly demonstrate the harmonious collective work of Chico da Silva and his collaborators, including Babá (Sebastião Lima da Silva), Chica da Silva (Francisca Silva), Claudionor (José Claudionor Nogueira), Garcia (José dos Santos Gomes), and Ivan (Ivan José de Assis). The endeavour also served to highlight each painter’s contributions to the visuality of Chico da Silva’s work.
Question from the art education program
What is the difference between creating individually and collectively?
