Graphic designer Marcel Lisboa, living and working in São Paulo, uses digital means to create his utterly unique illustrations; all of which expressions of private worlds that reveal a distinct story and invite endless contemplation. Having begun his career working in advertising agencies, Lisboa is well attuned to the pop culture sensitivities of our age. Through digital collage the artist reflects his key inspirations: the Renaissance and the Baroque: an unusual source for an artist working with collage. But by shunning the usual genealogy of the Dadaists, Lisboa creates a unique aesthetic based on stunning draftsmanship, evocative scenography, an ethereal palette, and dramatic chiaroscuro.
iCanvas is thrilled to present a choice selection of works from this remarkable Brazilian artist, whose characters, while rendered by digital means and surrounded by modern comforts, are agents of the proliferation of media that harks back to the Renaissance. Lisboa's works manage to forge a trajectory from the dominant narratives of the Western imperialist project to an imagined pre-colonial innocence. Despite his taste for the old masters, Lisboa follows in the footsteps of the trailblazing Pop artist Richard Hamilton, whose stunning juxtapositions are rooted in a desire to analyze, deconstruct, and critique the prevailing myths of modern culture. Continually allowing his works to evolve and shift, Lisboa is an artist on the cusp of achieving something truly great. With these fine digital collages the traditions of the early-twentieth century avant-garde and the finely wrought natural filigree of the Baroque are united for the first time.
