There is a surprising factor in the painting of Duarte Vitoria: it is not the observer who tries to read the thoughts of the characters. Instead, it is the characters that are trying to read our thoughts. A look pierces through us, strikes into our conscience and holds our full attention. It shackles us, pulls us and drops us right in the middle of the scene. Moreover, so, we stop being observers and become participants. We change from witnesses to accomplices. We are no longer innocent, and thus we are presumed guilty.

Vitoria portrays the human figure in a way that differs from the usual. With the use of blood-based stubborn ink and an intricate context, he reflects an uncomfortable paradox, so strange as it is familiar. Several sorts of feelings spread across the entire canvas and spread beyond it: a deep, but quiet, sense of sadness and an impotent melancholy gazes at the infinite as a silent scream. A representation of the human tragedy through submission and suffering, where alternating rhythms of tension and calmness, pain and pleasure, love and hate, war and peace arise.

In the worst scenario, Vitoria conveys an aesthetic of intrinsic beauty; a purity that forces to doubt our own critical posture and, without knowing how to interpret it, we are coerced to question what we are seeing. Vitoria makes us feel as helpless as his models, feeling overwhelmed with so many questions but so few answers. We are left without a single clue whatsoever; we cannot judge which party has more reason or less guilt. Their origin becomes unrelated, after all, not only it is irrelevant, but will not change the status quo.

After the quarrel, it is time for peace. A slow moment eternalized in an expression without breath or force. It is a glance that contains all the words, what raises all the questions, but has all the answers. The last breath, an impassive and peace-making murmur that summons the comforting embrace of death.

By Pedro Boaventura • Excerpt from Masters of Contemporary Fine Art - Volume 3

 

Duarte Vitoria was born in Portugal in 1973, where he also lives and works.

He has a degree in Drawing, Painting and Fine Arts from Escola Superior Artistica do Porto. He has been exhibiting for more than a decade. Vitoria’s work has been showcased throughout Europe, in Lisbon, Madrid, Brussels, Venice, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Basel, Paris, London, and also in Toronto, New Yorkand Miami. His works can be found in various public and private collections.