Ten days in southern Minas Gerais -part two

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Varginha, view, oil on card, 16 x 14 cm unavailable

Cambuquira , rain on a pond, oil on card, 17 x 14 cm - unavailable

Cambuquira , a view from the hotel terrace, oil on card, 14 x 14 cm    SOLD

Cambuquira , the lonely duck, oil on card, 15 x 18 cm -unavailable

Boa Esperança, the lake, oil on card, 18 x 14 cm

 These pictures are the fruit of some short trips from Boa Esperança to nearby towns. 

Varginha is probably the ugliest city I have ever been to, with architecture of such gracelessness and  such a lack of general urban planning that might even some Brazilians might be taken aback. I cannot recommend going there.

By contrast, Cambuquira, an old spa resort, has considerable charm, unspoiled by the intrusion of contemporary Brazilian design. It`s gently crumbling away. We stayed in a most agreeably faded hotel from the thirties near the melancholy bus station and enjoyed wandering in the spa gardens trying the waters.

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Ten days in southern Minas Gerais- part one

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Boa Esperança, shop, oil on card, 14 x 16.5 cm  - available

Boa Esperança, pasteleria, 12.5 x 18 cm  unavailable

Boa Esperança, Percy`s Peças , oil on card, 13.5 x 15.5 cm-  available

Boa Esperança, Salão de Beleza, oil on card, 14 x 16.5 cm

Boa Esperança,the central square, oil on card, 14 x 14 cm unavailable

Boa Esperança is a town of forty thousand, prettily situated on a lake in Southern Minas Gerais. 

I tend not to go to the interior of Brazil much. I always think of it as the real Brazil, deep Brazil, Brazil for really serious explorers, in contrast to Santa Catarina, which I think of as Brazil-lite, easily palatable for gringo softies such as me. That is, in the interior you have to endure sertaneja*, dilapidation, heat, slowness, and very heavy food. You feel like you are the only foreigner and you probably are, and everyone is incredibly religious**.

The landscape of southern Minas is not as charming as that of Santa Catarina, as it lacks the drama of both the coastline and high mountains. There are huge coffee plantations over slow, almost treeless hills, and small towns in which nothing ever happens except the occasional downpour and their own gentle decline. There are many children and many dogs and everyone seems quite happy.

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I enjoyed my time painting in Boa Esperança very much. I loved the simple painted buildings, which often have deco detailing, and the pleasant people, whose children, playing in the streets, struck me as very polite and sweet-natured.

I am trying to paint pictures which are simpler, more cheerful, and more colourful. For a long time I had, largely unconsciously, been trying to paint North European landscapes here- and painting the shop-fronts were a great way to escape from this. I am also working on a slightly bigger scale. I want to feel freer with the brush and enjoy broader effects.

* a form of Brazilian country music, often played at high volume by morons in oversized cars.
**this, sadly, has a political aspect, with various Protestant church groups seeking to meddle in the affairs of secular state, harry homosexuals, and generally reduce the liberty of others.

 

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 Many thanks to the Rodrigues family, especially Filo, for kind hospitality in
Boa Esperança.



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The road to Itacorubi

The road to Itacorubi, oil on card, 12.5 x 12 cm

A very pleasant day for painting.

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I have bought tickets to Minas Gerais, where I shall pass Christmas, and Salvador, where I will spend some days in late January.