Artur José Nísio was a Brazilian painter, draftsman, engraver, and teacher.
Background
Arthur Jose Nisio was born in Curitiba, Paraná, on May 15, 1906. Not only his history but that of his entire family had a close connection with the history of Paraná. His paternal grandfather, an Italian mechanic, and his maternal grandfather, a German blacksmith, arrived in Brazil hired by the French company in charge of the construction of the Curitiba-Paranaguá railroad. In the uproar of what was one of the most important engineering works in the history of the state, the ties of the Nísio and Reimann families became closer. Jélio Reginato Nísio and Reimann Nísio, Arthur's parents, had six children. During the difficult times of the first two decades of the twentieth century, they moved to Porto Alegre in 1918.
Education
The creative ability to design gave the young artist a scholarship. Already at the age of 17, he went to the Institute of Fine Arts in Porto Alegre. It was only the beginning of the trajectory of one of the greatest artists of the state of Paraná. In 1924, returning to Curitiba, Nísio became a student of the studio of Lange de Morretes, temperamental artist, but very intelligent and technically prepared. Between 1925 and 1927, he also attended João Turin's atelier, to specialize in sculpture and modeling.
Career
Arthur's first exhibition took place between May 1 and May 16, 1928, where he presented drawings, woodcuts, and landscapes. Although well received, the works did not sell. Nisio was discouraged, and when all seemed lost, he was visited by a couple who soon bought two canvases. Upon looking in the book of signatures, he found that it was Dr. Afonso Camargos, governor of the state, and his wife.
At the age of 22, seeking to progress in his studies, he left for Germany. Many visits to museums and galleries were a constant part of his routine. But it was with Max Bergmann of the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich that he inherited an unmistakable trait in the painting of animals. In 1934, in Rhineland Palatinate, he attended conferences on "The figure in the landscape", given by Homeisen and Eugen Osvald.
Arthur Nisio was in Germany at the height of World War II. These were not easy moments. He had to send 5 works for analysis by the Gestapo and was authorized to continue his work. Unlike the social and political crisis that prevailed on the European continent, he began to succeed with his work. Participated in several exhibitions in several German cities and in 1938, he was invited to participate in an exhibition organized by the new city hall of Landau Rhein-Pfalz, where he also received a special hall. With only 1 hour of exposure, he had already sold all 5 screens. A great success, after all, there were exposed more than 2 thousand works.
Even in an apparent state of social tension, by the war that intensified more and more, Arthur Nísio lived a very productive period, selling as much as he executed and never managing to meet so many requests. The horrors began more severely in 1942. Bombings forced his exit from Munich. In the midst of all this chaos, Gudrun, the artist's daughter, was born.
In 1943 he was obliged to abandon the art and to work in the plantations, after all, manpower was necessary, to feed the fronts of the war. After 1944, he fled to Munich, in a locality called Haimhausen. He lost everything he had accumulated in his 18 years in Europe. From Germany, he was sent to a refugee camp in France, from where he would be transferred to South America. His desire to continue with art was so great that he even sold the overcoat in Paris to buy paints and brushes. He drew and painted everything, even works for jewelers.
Back in Brazil in 1946, he restarted hardly in Curitiba. The family was the anchor at the moment that most needed it. He lost all of the material he had conquered but returned with a wealth of knowledge that he could never have achieved without his experiences on European soil. Arthur did not lack admirers. His work was already consolidated with unsurpassed strength. He returned to definitely mark the history of Plastic Arts in Paraná.
Arthur also participated in the foundation of the School of Music and Fine Arts of Paraná and occupied several teaching chairs of that institution. He has always dreamed of his own and cohesive art for all artists of his generation. He died on April 26, 1974, after several months of hospitalization. His brushes were only abandoned two weeks before his death.
Achievements
Arthur Nisio is known worldwide as one of the most precious talents of animal painting.
