João Ribeiro (1955) - Anjos

João Ribeiro (1955) - Angels, 1997

Author: João Ribeiro
Title: Angels
Date: 1997
Country of origin: Portugal
Technique: multicolored screen print on paper
Edition: specimen 82/200
Signature: signed and dated in pencil, lower right corner: “João Ribeiro 97”
Framed dimensions: 63 × 46 cm
Dimensions of the printed image: approximately 49.5 × 32.5 cm
Style: Expressionist
Period: Contemporary art — late 20th century

Artist identification - The signature corresponds to João Ribeiro, Portuguese visual artist born in Lisbon in 1955. He holds a degree in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon and a master’s degree in Visual Arts from Lusófona University. He has been holding solo exhibitions since 1985 and is represented in several Portuguese institutional and museum collections, as well as in foreign collections. Portuguese Screen Printing Center. The identification is secure: in addition to the perfectly legible signature, I found another exemplar of the same composition, equally dated 1997 and belonging to the edition of 200 exemplars.

Vertical-oriented multicolored screen print representing two intertwined winged figures, interpretable as angels or spiritual beings. The characters have voluminous, strongly stylized bodies, joined by arms, legs, and wings in a composition marked by intimacy, tension, and movement.

The figures emerge from an intense blue background, worked with an irregular texture that recalls an aged or corroded surface. The palette combines cobalt blue, yellow, ochre, orange, red, and white. The successive color overlays produce an effect of materiality and wear reminiscent of an ancient mural painting.

The faces, depicted in profile and very close to one another, confer to the scene a dimension that is simultaneously affectionate and enigmatic. The wings and white contours reinforce the supernatural nature of the figures. The anatomical simplification, the chromatic intensity, and the textured treatment move the work toward a figurative expressionist language characteristic of the artist’s output during the 1990s.

Numbering and signature - On the lower margin are: on the left: 82/200, indicating the specimen no. 82 of an edition of 200; on the right: autograph signature “João Ribeiro”; next to the signature: the date “97”, corresponding to 1997.

Condition - The screen-printed image appears to be in good condition, with no tears or significant losses visible. Observed: slight aging and small spots/stains on the white margin; possible dirt or very punctual foxing; small signs of use on the frame.