Rodrigo Franzão (born April 27, 1982) is a contemporary Brazilian artist known for his innovative
textile art
Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects.
Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. The methods and materials us ...
and
mixed media creations. He lives and works between
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
,
New Orleans, and
Sao Paulo, focusing on sustainability and environmental responsibility in his art. Franzão’s works often feature intricate interplay of light, shadow, color, and texture, achieved through meticulously folded and layered paper strips on canvas, creating dynamic effects reminiscent of kinetic art.
[Biography](_blank)
Rodrigo Franzão
Franzão has an extensive academic background, including degrees in Literature and Arts, an MBA in Museology and Art History, and specializations in Psychopedagogy and Art Therapy.
Rodrigo Franzão He founded the Virtual Textile Museum and the art magazine InTheArts, further contributing to the field of contemporary textile art.
Rodrigo Franzão
His works have been exhibited globally, including in prestigious public collections such as the National Arts Club in New York and the Museum of the Superior Court of Justice in Brasília.
Rodrigo Franzão Franzão’s art invites viewers to contemplate universal themes such as life, society, and the interconnectedness of opposing elements.
Rodrigo Franzão
Early life and education
Between 2002 and 2004, Rodrigo Franzão studied
Language Arts at the University of São Marcos.
[Biography](_blank)
Rodrigo Franzão During this time, he learned
concrete poetry in Brazilian literature classes, which reinforced his interest for
geometric abstraction.
After graduating in Language Arts, Franzão taught Portuguese language and Brazilian literature for nearly a decade. During this time, he had the opportunity to combine art into his classes. Soon after that the evolution of his artistic process begun to unfold.
Between 2008 and 2011, he enrolls in
Psychopedagogy Psychopedagogy is a combination of two main branches of study, pedagogy and psychology.
Some of the most influential authors in this field are Jean Piaget, David Ausubel, Jerome Bruner and Lev Vygotsky. Important contributions have also been made b ...
,
Art Therapy
Art therapy (not to be confused with ''arts therapy'', which includes other creative therapies such as drama therapy and music therapy) is a distinct discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression through visual art media. Art thera ...
and in Communication Art education classes at the Paulista College of Arts.
At the same time, his evolution as an artist distinctly manifested itself during his tenure at the College of Architecture and Urbanism at the United Metropolitan College (2011)
which emphasized spatial organization and visual communication.
In order to put this theoretical knowledge into practice, in 2013 he goes further by enrolling in art college at the University Center Claretiano in Brasilia, Brazil, to gain a greater understanding of the historical, social and aesthetic context of art.
Work
Rodrigo Franzão is influenced by
geometric abstraction and
constructivist art
Constructivism is an early twentieth-century art movement founded in 1915 by Vladimir Tatlin and Alexander Rodchenko. Abstract and austere, constructivist art aimed to reflect modern industrial society and urban space. The movement rejected deco ...
. He expresses himself with the aim of revealing the transparency that exists through the use of every day materials.
Through multiple languages he interweaves mixed media to show the minutiae and structure that fragment into dispersion, gap and sound.
After graduating in Psychpedagogy and Art Therapy, he started to find inspiration in almost everything that surrounds the human universe and to assimilate the way humans interact with their own repertoire.
He combines two-dimensional and three-dimensional effects, creating a relationship of dependency between both. Besides geometric abstraction, bright colors are used in his artworks to harmonize the contrast between the shape and colors.
Influences
His inspirations are the works by
Eva Hesse,
Josef Albers,
Kansuke Yamamoto,
Sheila Hicks
Sheila Hicks (born 1934) is an American artist. She is known for her innovative and experimental weavings and sculptural textile art that incorporate distinctive colors, natural materials, and personal narratives.
Since 1964, she has lived and ...
, Paolo Scheggi,
Lucio Fontana
Lucio Fontana (; 19 February 1899 – 7 September 1968) was an Argentine-Italian painter, sculptor and theorist. He is mostly known as the founder of Spatialism.
Early life
Born in Rosario, to Italian immigrant parents, he was t ...
,
Turi Simeti
Turi Simeti (5 August 1929 – 16 March 2021) was an Italian painter born in Alcamo, Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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,
Roberto Burle Marx.
Exhibitions
Rodrigo Franzão exhibited his first series of works entitled Involuntary Exclusion at Anexxo Gallery in Brazil.
Utilizing fabric, needles and copper wire, Franzão's idea was to establish the dialogue that an individual plays between what it means to live and become a visible and active member of society through the act of becoming a consumer, and through that concealing his true essence.
The following year, he presents this same series of works in the
Supreme Court Museum in
Brasília,
a public museum with the architecture by
Oscar Niemeyer.
In the same year, Rodrigo Franzão introduces its new series of works in the
National Arts Club
The National Arts Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and members club on Gramercy Park, Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1898 by Charles DeKay, an art and literary critic of the ''New York Times'' to "stimulate, foster, and promote public ...
in New York City, private club founded in 1898 by
Charles DeKay
Charles Augustus de Kay (July 25, 1848 – May 23, 1935) was a linguist, poet, critic, and fencer. He was a son of George Coleman De Kay, a naval officer.
He graduated from Yale College in 1868.
He was best known for founding the National Sculp ...
, an art and literary critic of the
New York Times to "stimulate, foster, and promote public interest in the arts and to educate the American people in the fine arts". The Exhibit titled "Katharsis" presents works inspired in the human body, showing at first plan the structures that sustain all the biological condition in the human being. Through a plan of observation, Franzão suggests in his work the harmony between geometry and figurative forms leading the observer to come across their own reality.
About the artists and the series Katharsis, Robert Yahner, the curator of the exhibition, says "Franzão is one of the most dynamic and provocative artists among Brazil's new generation of talent. Enlightened by an early background in Literature and Communications, the work of Rodrigo Franzão reveals an incantatory discourse between the artist, his vision and his uninhibited involvement with found materials. KATHARSIS transforms this dialogue into an exploration of the human form moving from aspects of beauty to biological condition. The grounding force of Franzão's line combined with the vibrant play of geometric abstraction gives KATHARSIS a rhythmic power. The work is further enhanced by the artist's facile use of mixed media and a brilliant sense of color - an echoing pulse of his native country."
Collections
Rodrigo Franzão has two works in public collections. They can be visited at the Supreme Court Museum in Brasília.
Bibliography
* "The National Arts Club presents Rodrigo Franzão - Katharsis". NYC.COM , New York's Box Office. October 2015:1. Web. (USA)
* "Celebridades e artistas em coquetel da exposição de Rodrigo Franzão". Artistas e Artes. October 2015:1. Web. (Brazil)
* "The National Arts Club presents Rodrigo Franzão - Katharsis". Guest of a guest. September 2015:1. Web. (USA)
* Calderón-Douglass, Barbara. "3 Can't Miss Art Exhibits This Week". Remezda. September 2015:1. Web. (USA)
* "Artista de Goiás é o 1º brasileiro a expor em famosa galeria dos EUA. Telas de Rodrigo Franzão vão ficar em local que já teve obras de Picasso". G1 - Globo TV. September 2015:1. Web. (Brazil)
* "Rodrigo Franzão abre sua exposição dia 29 de setembro no National Arts Club". Manchete Online. September 2015:1. Web. (Brazil)
* "Rodrigo Franzão é o primeiro brasileiro a expor na Marquis Galeria em 117 anos: O espaço recebe dez obras do artista paulistano". Revista Brasileiros. September 2015:1. Web. (Brazil)
* Santana, Paula. "Do Brasil para o Mundo". GPS Brasília. September 2015:1. Web. (Brazil)
* "Gallery Calendar". National Arts Club, September 2015:1. Web. (USA)
* "Rodrigo Franzão é o primeiro artista plástico brasileiro, em 117 anos, a expor na Marquis Gallery do National Arts Club, em Nova York. Obras de Arte. September 2015:1. Web. (Brazil)
* Soares, Ana C. "Terraço Paulistano: SP-Abadiânia-NY" ''Veja São Paulo''. August 2015:15. Print. (Brazil)
* Bennellick, Mary. "Abstract Textiles" ''Be Creative with Workbox''. July–August 2015: 82–85. Print. (England)
* "The limit is imagination: Rodrigo Franzão on his abstract art". Arts Culture. July 2015:1. Web. (England)
* "Rodrigo Franzão. Textile Art". ''Zeroland''. Website Gallery O. June 2015:1. Web. (USA)
* "Rodrigo Franzão". ''The Art Zine''. Website Arts Culture. June 2015:1. Web. (Italy)
* "Rodrigo Franzão - Abadiânia, Goiás, Brazil". 365 days 365 artists. May 2015:1. Web. (USA)
* "Rodrigo Franzão: Subtração Involuntária". ''Vem Comigo TV''. YouTube. May 2015. Video. (Brazil)
* Giusti, André. "Museu do Superior Tribunal de Justiça: entrevista". Museu do Superior Tribunal de Justiça. May 2015. Audio. (Brazil)
* "Subtração Involuntária chega à Brasília: Obras chegam com cores vibrantes e arranjos geométricos". Curta Mais +. May 2015:1. Web. (Brazil)
* "Com entrada gratuita, exposição Subtração Involuntária é inaugurada em Brasília". Brand Press. May 2015:1. Web. (Brazil)
* "Galerias e Escritórios de arte: Anexxo Galeria". Mapa das Artes. April 2015:1. Web. (Brazil)
* "Arte Têxtil". Cultura Osasco. Jan. 2015:1. Web. (Brazil)
* Pitcher, Sam. "Rodrigo Franzão: Abstract forms". Textile Artist. December 2014:1. Web. (London)
* Meusburger, Rose. "Artista plástico brasileiro é destaque em portal inglês da área têxtil". Gaia Brasil: Acreditamos na educação. December 2014:1. Web. (Brazil)
* Fernandes, Maria T. "Arte em Abadiânia". ''Revista Roteiro Brasília''. October–November 2014:16. Print. (Brazil)
* Gomes, Eldo. "Acontece Goiás: Chega a Abadiânia (GO) a Anexxo Galeria". Acontece Brasília. October 2014:1. Web. (Brazil)
* "Destaque: Anexxo Galeria: Rodrigo Franzão. Abadiânia (GO). O Artista apresenta nove obras feitas com tecido, fio de cobre e agulhas, inspirads no consumismo". Mapa das Artes. October 2014:1. Web. (Brazil)
* "Galerias e Escritórios de Arte: Anexxo Galeria". Mapa das Artes. October 2014:1. Web. (Brazil)
References
External links
Artist's website Rodrigo Franzão's biographyRodrigo Franzão's interview at Textile Artist (London)Rodrigo Franzão's interview at 365 artists 365 days (USA)Rodrigo Franzão's interview at The Art Zine (Italy)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franzao, Rodrigo
Brazilian contemporary artists
Abstract artists
1982 births
Living people
Textile artists
Neo-expressionist artists