Cosme Martins

Cosme Martins (Maranhão, 1959) is a Brazilian painter who began his artistic career in his hometown of São Bento, focusing on local figurative themes. In the 1980s, he moved to Rio de Janeiro to broaden the recognition of his art.

In Rio, Martins received guidance from notable Brazilian artists such as Rubens Gerchman, Luiz Áquila, Aluísio Carvão, Kate Van Scherpenberg, and José Maria Dias da Cruz. These experiences with masters of Brazilian art helped him earn awards and participate in exhibitions at major art museums like the National Museum of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro and the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art.

He gained support and recognition from distinguished critics. Walmir Ayala described Martins' painting style as "the new writing." In his book "Dictionary of Brazilian Painters" (1987), Ayala wrote:

"The most striking aspect of Cosme Martins' work is the coherence of the adopted language, with the most immediate reference found in the extraordinary collection of colonial tilework, enriching the architecture of São Luiz. There is a subliminal identity in this approach, resulting from the human interaction of the artist with his environment, activated by a first-rate registered look. And this reflection is never anecdotal or discursive: what translates into Cosme Martins' painting is the soul of the city itself, which is universalized by a minimalist recipe of registered signs. We are not far, either, from a system of writing, from a semiotics that induces reading from an anatomical movement located within the scope of the code. The referred reading thus becomes open, as to a reading capable of reflecting the testament of man in the realm of creation."

Roberto Pontual was instrumental in opening the first doors to the art market for Martins. It was Pontual who welcomed Cosme Martins to Paris when he won a Travel Award from the exhibition "The Afro Brazilian Hand in Painting." During this trip, Martins had the chance to meet Cícero Dias and Mabe and to reconnect with Rubens Gerchman, who had earlier taught him and was the first to say that national recognition was within reach.

In the phase known as "Favelas," there is a transition from figurative to abstract in Martins' work. Elements like shacks and people became increasingly less apparent, until his paintings reached a total absence of the figure, as seen in his current works.

His canvases feature textures made in terracotta, constructed using a secret technique that the artist does not disclose, claiming it maintains firmness and prevents cracking over time. The variety of colors in his work is driven by the artist's sensitivity, who says he cannot stop until his agony is replaced by the pleasure of completing his paintings.

Cosme Martins admits to having achieved far more than he imagined when he left Maranhão, referring to his success in the art scene. He acknowledges that an artist's work is not recognized overnight and that it requires years of effort and research, along with influential people who believe in his work.

Sources:
Photo: https://espacofatimalima.com.br/post/cosme-martins-concepcional