Military Club opens painting exhibition

The Military Club this week opened a painting exhibition featuring a total of 30 works by Portuguese artists.

The exposition includes works from three painters: Pedro Proença, Maria João Franco, and Madalena Pequito.

The exhibition presents a set of works, from each artist, which share visible thematic unity. Many will recognize the distinctive styles of Proença and Franco, that characterize and differentiate the artworks.

Proença’s works are presented in two different series, both in the subject and the format. “First, it is the preponderance of drawing as a form of representation. This aspect reveals or betrays the strong influence of the comic strips that marks the artist,” organizers said in a statement. This is in addition to “the bright and contrasting colors that give them an atmosphere of celebration, brightness, and fantasy.”

In a dissimilar tone is a series of works by Franco.  They delve into one of her dominant themes, the human body. “[Her depictions are] a body that often appears as no more than a suggestion, rather than as an objective representation,” the statement noted.

The exhibition is associated with the Day of Portugal and forms part of the official program supported by the Consulate General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong.

It is also included in the club’s cycle of activities entitled “Meeting Bridges” which will feature two more exhibitions later this year: one dedicated to the art of Portuguese-speaking countries, to be held in October, and another, focused on local artists, which will take place at the end of the year.