Chanina

Chanina Luwisz Szejnbejn (Zofjowce, Poland, 1927 - Belo Horizonte, MG, 2012) was a painter, draftsman, printmaker, illustrator, and teacher.

Chanina emigrated to Brazil with his parents at the age of nine, settling in Belo Horizonte. In the mid-1940s, he studied metal engraving with Anna Letycia, lithography with João Quaglia, and composition with Fayga Ostrower. In 1946, he began studying painting and drawing with Guignard and sculpture with Franz Weissmann at the Instituto de Belas Artes in Belo Horizonte, now known as the Escola Guignard. In the same year, he enrolled in the medical course at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), graduating in 1955. Alongside his medical practice, Chanina dedicated himself to the arts and teaching, becoming a painting professor at the Escola Guignard. He worked as an illustrator and designer for the Literary Supplement of the Minas Gerais Official Gazette and produced book covers. In 1984, he was awarded the Medalha da Inconfidência, a commendation given by the government of Minas Gerais to personalities who contribute to the projection of Minas Gerais culture.

Critical Commentary:

Chanina's work is characterized by intense use of color and a fanciful approach. His themes include landscapes, figures, clowns, horses, and portraits, among others. He also explored lyrical abstraction in works such as "Abstraction" (1964) and "The Dream" (1988). Isaías Golgher noted that the color palette in his works harmonizes with the form, not merely serving a decorative function. Chanina was also influenced by Guignard, especially in the use of graphic elements, decorative lines, and modulated color. According to Yara Tupynambá, Chanina reconciled the use of homogeneous color in the foreground with the freedom of line in the background, employing color transparency and delicate mid-tones, inspired by Guignard and Marc Chagall.

Solo Exhibitions:

1961 - Belo Horizonte, MG - União Israelita
1965 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Galeria Tijuco
1971 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Mini Gallery
1972 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Galeria Ami
1975 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Galeria Ami
1977 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Galeria Ami
1979 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Galeria Guignard
1982 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Retrospective at Palácio das Artes
1988 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Palácio dos Leilões
2004 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Museu da Inconfidência

Group Exhibitions:

1952 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Salão Municipal de Belas Artes
1953 - Belo Horizonte, MG - 2nd University Art Salon
1954 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Salão Municipal de Belas Artes
1964 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Galeria Guignard
1964 - São Paulo, SP - Galeria Atrium
1966 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Salão Municipal de Belas Artes
1966 - Brasília, DF - 3rd Salon of Modern Art
1966 - Curitiba, PR - 23rd Paraná Salon
1966 - Salvador, BA - 1st National Biennial of Plastic Arts
1966 - Vitória, ES - 1st National Salon of Plastic Arts
1967 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Salão Municipal de Belas Artes
1967 - Curitiba, PR - 24th Paraná Salon
1967 - Ohio, USA - Brazilian Artists
1967 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - 16th National Salon of Modern Art
1967 - São Paulo, SP - 9th São Paulo International Biennial
1968 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - 17th National Salon of Modern Art
1969 - Barcelona, Spain - 8th International Drawing Prize Juan Miró
1969 - Belo Horizonte, MG - 1st National Salon of Contemporary Art
1969 - Belo Horizonte, MG - AIB
1969 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - 18th National Salon of Modern Art
1969 - São Paulo, SP - 1st Panorama of Current Brazilian Art
1970 - Barcelona, Spain - 9th International Drawing Prize Juan Miró
1970 - Ouro Preto, MG - 5th Winter Festival of Ouro Preto
1970 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - 19th National Salon of Modern Art
1971 - Curitiba, PR - 28th Paraná Salon
1972 - Barcelona, Spain - 11th International Drawing Prize Juan Miró
1973 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Galeria Guignard
1974 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Galeria Ami
1974 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Galeria Guignard
1976 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Exhibition of Murals from Municipal Schools
1976 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - 25th National Salon of Modern Art
1977 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Galeria Ami
1977 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Galeria Guignard
1977 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Palácio das Artes
1977 - São Paulo, SP - 9th Panorama of Current Brazilian Art
1979 - Belo Horizonte, MG - 2nd Salon of the State Council of Culture
1979 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Palácio das Artes
1979 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Exhibition of Murals from Municipal Schools
1981 - Belo Horizonte, MG - 8th Global Winter Salon
1981 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Itaugaleria
1981 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - 8th Global Winter Salon
1981 - São Paulo, SP - 8th Global Winter Salon
1989 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Paths of Freedom
1990 - São Paulo, SP - Art and Medicine
1996 - Belo Horizonte, MG - The City and the Artist
1996 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Consolidation of Modernity
1996 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Improvisation for Guignard
1997 - Contagem, MG - Students of Guignard in Contagem.

Sources:
Text: Blombô research and curation, with the support of artificial intelligence for content writing and structuring.