Monchique || An exhibition of paintings by Traute Schmaljohann is taking place at the Porca Preta Gallery in Monchique from July 18 to August 15.
Traute Schmaljohann was born in Germany and worked as a teacher in the north of the country. Between 1982 and 1985, she studied Visual Arts at the University of Lüneburg. Moving to Paris, she continued her studies in the painting workshop at the School of Fine Arts between 1986 and 1988.
She made her first visit to Portugal in 1986, and that same year she settled permanently in Paris.
Her works have been shown in several solo and group exhibitions in and around Paris, and also in Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.
The works on show are inspired by her stay in Portugal, and form a cycle that began in 1987 and was completed in 1993.
The acrylics, based on copies of photographs taken in Portugal, are influenced by light, by the southern atmosphere and by personal experiences.
“We are always rediscovering nature in her paintings,” says Ulrike Santos, owner of the Porca Preta Gallery since 2012.
“The dance of light and shade seems to be the source of inspiration for Traute Schmaljohann. Her Traces of the Sun (Vestígios de Sol) works hold a certain fascination. In them, we can dive, dream and see the infinitely small, like living cells, as well as the infinitely large like the planets and constellations.”
Galeria Porca Preta can be found on the road to Alferce from Monchique. Turn down at Cerca da Rita and then follow signs to Porca Preta.
961 256 447
Caption: Traces of the Sun (Vestígios de Sol) by Traute Schmaljohann
