Ismael Nery: Biography and Works: Artistic Phases and Surrealist Legacy

Aside from being a contemporary of Brazilian modernist artists at the turn of the last century, his visual art was different from that of his peers. He had no interest in nationalist themes. His work revolves around certain philosophical dualities, such as the self and the other, the body and the spirit, good and evil, and male and female. The other is usually represented by his wife, the poet Adalgisa Ferreira, or his close friend, the poet Murilo Mendes. His paintings lead to a paradoxical question: 'Who am I?'

Some of his works are reminiscent of Amadeo Modigliani due to the elongated forms of the neck and hands. It is also impossible not to associate them with the work of Frida Kahlo. Both managed to express their personal tragedies with mastery.

ART GALLERY

From 1924 onwards, Ismael Nery, later, gives a more geometric treatment to his figures, composes his characters with cylinders and oval shapes. Human figures become more elongated, like La Modigliani. He receives influences from Expressionism and Cubism.

Considered one of the pioneers of Surrealism in Brazil, Ismael Nery follows this line of work, painting the afflictions of a disease that would eventually claim his life, developing a unique work.

The illustrated letter of painter Ismael Nery, conventional only in its opening and closing, has the artist's respect for the usual way of addressing and signing: the sheet is dated, 'Rio, May 21, 1929', it begins with 'Dearest friend' and ends with 'Always yours' and the initials. What would be the text in a common letter, here is a succession of surrealistic images, floating like a dream.

Few 'letters' are as beautiful in Brazilian art as this cryptic message from Nery, who may have wanted to gift a friend with a drawing in the form of a letter (or was it a letter in the form of a drawing?).

Self-Portrait of 1927 - Pietro Maria Bardi wrote for Revista Manchete in 1972: 'This work of Ismael Nery is not a self-portrait, but an autobiography.'

Let's start with the dimensions of the painting, an exception in the set for its generosity. The artist portrays himself in a surrealist language, superimposing icons of the landscapes of his preferred cities; to the left, Rio de Janeiro, represented by Pão de Açúcar, the Botafogo cove, and the typical casarão, plus a detail: in the lower left corner, a mulata is gesturing as if she were dancing; to the right, the Torre Eiffel and typical Parisian buildings. The artist occupies the center of the canvas, sitting on a bench, and wears a Russian shirt. The shading on the shirt deserves a study. The movement of the shadows follows the movement in the background to the right of the Parisian buildings, the Tower leans to the left towards Rio. Two figures insinuate themselves in shadows next to the artist's face; to the left, a female face, possibly Adalgisa; to the right, a male face, we could imagine Murilo Mendes, and the self-portrait would become another love triangle among the many painted by Ismael Nery, but when we observe his profile self-portraits, it seems that, in a typical narcissistic investment, he duplicated his own image, showing himself both frontally and in profile.

- Catalog Ismael Nery: Feminine and Masculine. Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo. Curator Paulo Sérgio Duarte, May 2018.