Nuno de Campos at Clifford-Smith - Boston - Brief Article

Art in America, Dec, 2001 by Ann Wilson Lloyd

In his second solo show here, Nuno de Campos continued to spin both painterly and conceptual gold from improbable subject matter: the lap. His small egg tempera on linen on panel paintings (usually 15 by 15 inches) are images of a single seated woman's midsection, seen straight on, usually with hands and lower arms included. They are closely cropped, tightly focused, highly realistic and meticulously painted.

Other than delicate pink flesh tones, heavenly shades of blue predominate, accented with green and white. These colors constitute the swirling floral patterns in the subject's dress, as well as the slightly deeper blue that makes up the background. These cool shades and the lovely patterns are in themselves highly seductive, made more so by the finely tactile, color-saturated surfaces characteristic of egg tempera--a difficult medium that de Campos has thoroughly mastered.

The paintings are sensuous rather than sensual; there are no erotic overtones in de Campos's presentation of the figure. In fact, nothing much goes on in these works, other than slight shifts in the sitter's position. Comparing images of his 1999 show with the works shown recently suggests a slow-motion effect like languid flip-book action. The hands and arms seem to flutter in gentle animation, as if the sitter were using them to punctuate a conversation. Other than this suggestion of movement, the action takes place in the viewer's own mind. The lap itself is a connotative motherlode--and where the actual load of mothers is often found. The Pieta comes to mind, and, in fact, de Campos has affirmed that images of the Madonna inspired this series.

Drawings by de Campos were also on view here, for the first time. These are skillfully executed in charcoal, graphite and white chalk on hand-tinted papers. There were nine of them, three related works on sheets of fuchsia, blue and off-white. Though similar to the paintings in subject matter--hands held at midsection against an intricate, paisley-patterned dress--the drawings have something extra. These hands fondle small objects. In the drawings on fuchsia the object is a jar of Vicks VapoRub. In the off-white ones, the hands hold a small Swiss Army knife. In the blue drawings, it is the cover of a Jacques Brel record, titled "Ne Me Quitte Pas" (Don't Leave Me). In each drawing, the object and hands are in slightly varied positions, as in cinematic freeze frames. De Campos was born in Portugal and came to Boston for post-graduate study. The meanings of the curious things his Madonnas hold may be highly personal to the artist and puzzling to the viewer, but the overall intensity of his odd, intimate works comes through regardless.