Obrigada :)
Cristina Troufa e Charles Darwin
Richard Zimler
Vi pela primeira vez uma das pinturas de Cristina Troufa há uma semana, num post do Facebook. A profundidade emocional da jovem representada na pintura, a complexidade da sua expressão facial, levaram-me a ir ver a página pessoal da pintora. A obra perturbante e colorida com que aí deparei fez-me compreender que estava perante uma artista original e cheia de talento.
As pinturas de Cristina Troufa trouxeram-me de imediato ao espírito uma exposição que vira no Porto um ano antes (no Museu Soares dos Reis) baseada no trabalho seminal de Charles Darwin sobre a relação entre emoção e genética, A Expressão das Emoções no Homem e nos Animais. Publicado em 1872, este livro precursor de Darwin – assim como a exposição que vi – incluía fotografias surpreendentes de adultos e de bebés exibindo um enorme leque de emoções, do sofrimento ao desespero, da ansiedade à felicidade e ao êxtase. Do meu ponto de vista, o principal objectivo de Darwin nessa obra consistia em estabelecer uma ligação entre o comportamento humano geneticamente determinado – incluindo as nossas expressões faciais – e os nossos estados de espírito.
Ao ver as pinturas de Cristina, apercebi-me claramente da sua extrema mestria na representação das complexas emoções e sentimentos manifestadas pelos seres humanos e que Darwin pretendera explorar. Não é coisa fácil de conseguir – na verdade, muitos foram os artistas, por excelentes que fossem, que ao longo dos séculos fracassaram no intento de representar a face humana em pintura com fidelidade e intensidade. De certo modo, não há nisso nada de surpreendente; exigem-se excepcionais capacidades técnicas e poderes de observação para representar em pintura um sentimento complexo como aquele em que, por exemplo, dúvida e temor se confundem. Ou o sentimento de pânico controlado. Ou pintar uma emoção tão subtil como a reserva. É espantoso como Cristina Troufa consegue de forma tão coerente representar tais sentimentos na sua pintura. Por exemplo, naquela que é a minha pintura favorita nesta exposição, o auto-retrato Sombras no Sotão, uma mulher jovem observa fixamente qualquer coisa ao longe que pode muito bem ser estranho ou inquietante. Ao mesmo tempo parece fazer o possível por não revelar o estremecimento de medo que a percorre. A suspeição e o interesse que sente, mas também a sua necessidade de distanciamento, é evidente na firme contensão dos olhos e da boca, assim como, a um nível secundário, no propósito e na aplicação da posição da cabeça e dos braços. O esforço para controlar as suas emoções está também implícito na atenção que dedica aos atacadores dos sapatos, se bem que os seus pensamentos estejam claramente algures.
Sendo certo que a capacidade para compreender e interpretar as expressões faciais e a linguagem corporal varia de pessoa para pessoa, os quadros desta exposição irão seguramente despertar uma extrema variedade de emoções e ideias. E de perguntas. Será que a rapariga sentada no canto de Evolução está com vergonha ou com medo? Ou as duas coisas? Será que a mulher que se vê na parte esquerda do quadro Etapas sente inveja da imagem sorridente de si própria que se vê à direita? Ou estará simplesmente irritada? Porquê?
Ao fim e ao cabo, é quem vê que terá de fazer a sua própria interpretação, naturalmente.
Richard Zimler, 20 de Outubro de 2011
Cristina Troufa and Charles Darwin
Richard Zimler
I first saw one of Cristina Troufa’s paintings a week ago, in a Facebook post. The emotional depth of the young woman depicted and, in particular, the complexity of her facial expression, prompted me to take a look at Cristina’s personal page. The disturbing and colorful work I saw there made me realize that I’d happened on a talented and original artist.
Cristina’s paintings reminded me right away of an exhibition I’d seen in Porto a year earlier (at the Soares dos Reis Museum) about Charles Darwin’s seminal work on the link between emotion and genetics, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Published in 1872, Darwin’s groundbreaking book – and the exhibition I saw – included startling photographs of adults and babies exhibiting an enormous range of emotions, everything from grief, despair, and anxiety to happiness and ecstasy. As I understand it, Darwin’s main objective in this work was to establish a link between genetically determined human behavior – including our facial expressions – and our states of mind.
On viewing Cristina’s paintings, it became clear to me that she was highly skilled at depicting the complex emotions and feelings that human beings exhibit and which Darwin wished to explore. This is a very difficult thing to do – indeed, painting the human face accurately and insightfully has confounded otherwise excellent artists for centuries. In a sense, we shouldn’t be surprised; it requires great technical skill and observational powers to depict a mixed emotion such as fearful doubt, for example. Or controlled panic. Or to paint an emotion as subtle as reticence. Astonishingly, Cristina is consistently able to portray such feelings in her subjects. For instance, in my favorite painting in this exhibit, the self-portrait entitled Shadows in the Attic (Sombras no Sotão), a young woman is gazing at something in the distance that may very well be odd or disturbing. She also seems to be doing her best not to exhibit the frisson of fear that has struck her. The suspicious interest and need for distance she feels is evident in her tightly controlled eyes and mouth, and, at a secondary level, in the taut, purposeful positioning of her head and arms. Her effort to control her emotions is also implied by her attention to her shoelaces even though her thoughts clearly lie elsewhere.
Since our ability to understand and interpret facial expressions and body language varies from person to person, the paintings in this exhibit are sure to prompt a fairly wide range of emotions and ideas. And questions. Is the girl sitting at the corner of Evolution (Evolução) ashamed or fearful? Or both? Is the young woman at the left of States (Etapas) jealous of her laughing self at the right, or is she irritated? Why?
In the end, each viewer must make his or her own interpretation, of course.
Cristina’s paintings reminded me right away of an exhibition I’d seen in Porto a year earlier (at the Soares dos Reis Museum) about Charles Darwin’s seminal work on the link between emotion and genetics, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Published in 1872, Darwin’s groundbreaking book – and the exhibition I saw – included startling photographs of adults and babies exhibiting an enormous range of emotions, everything from grief, despair, and anxiety to happiness and ecstasy. As I understand it, Darwin’s main objective in this work was to establish a link between genetically determined human behavior – including our facial expressions – and our states of mind.
On viewing Cristina’s paintings, it became clear to me that she was highly skilled at depicting the complex emotions and feelings that human beings exhibit and which Darwin wished to explore. This is a very difficult thing to do – indeed, painting the human face accurately and insightfully has confounded otherwise excellent artists for centuries. In a sense, we shouldn’t be surprised; it requires great technical skill and observational powers to depict a mixed emotion such as fearful doubt, for example. Or controlled panic. Or to paint an emotion as subtle as reticence. Astonishingly, Cristina is consistently able to portray such feelings in her subjects. For instance, in my favorite painting in this exhibit, the self-portrait entitled Shadows in the Attic (Sombras no Sotão), a young woman is gazing at something in the distance that may very well be odd or disturbing. She also seems to be doing her best not to exhibit the frisson of fear that has struck her. The suspicious interest and need for distance she feels is evident in her tightly controlled eyes and mouth, and, at a secondary level, in the taut, purposeful positioning of her head and arms. Her effort to control her emotions is also implied by her attention to her shoelaces even though her thoughts clearly lie elsewhere.
Since our ability to understand and interpret facial expressions and body language varies from person to person, the paintings in this exhibit are sure to prompt a fairly wide range of emotions and ideas. And questions. Is the girl sitting at the corner of Evolution (Evolução) ashamed or fearful? Or both? Is the young woman at the left of States (Etapas) jealous of her laughing self at the right, or is she irritated? Why?
In the end, each viewer must make his or her own interpretation, of course.
Richard Zimler, October 20, 2011
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