THURSDAY, AUGUST 01, 2024
Délio Mendonça
‘Susegad – Tudo Está Bem / Everything is Fine’ is probably the first exhibition of paintings on Goa in Portugal. The artist, Eng. João Coutinho (a Goan settler in Portugal) displayed his paintings at Casa de Goa in Lisbon recently. The double title of this exhibition unites many layers of meanings and thoughts which need to be decoded. It was one of a kind and the first solo of Dino, as his family and friends call João, and even José Pádua, an important Mozambican painter and his mentor used to call him. And with this name, João signs his works but only on the reverse of the painted canvas. When asked why on the back of the painting, he replied that paintings should be appreciated and recognized for their intrinsic value and quality and not the fame or non-fame of the artist. This is the new trend in art, he added. He prefers to paint on the reverse of the canvas, brownish in colour, and he says that it is more difficult to paint with acrylic on the reverse. This particular preference fashions his art signature as well.
The choice of the Portuguese/Konkani word Susegad, frequently used in Goa with different meanings, for the title of this exhibition is a consequence of a personal metamorphosis: the Eng João, still an active professional retiree, finds now more time to dedicate himself to one of his first passions to help him to rediscover his innate artistic talent. As another artist, Constança Vasconcelos, put it, “Art didn’t come to Dino all of a sudden, it was always with him, with Goa peeping insistently over his shoulder, waiting for conditions to materialize, waiting for the trigger to be pulled which is done only by the courageous who seek to fulfil life in a generous sharing with others.”
Those two inseparable and complementary sides, the ongoing professional and the artistic, inform all his social contacts. Moreover, one of the write-ups at the exhibition read, “Art adopted him and revealed itself as a personal expression and an instrument of dedication and affection. His first exhibition had to reflect his inner peace, and his way of living Goan life reflects well that state of mind: ‘Tudo Esta Bem. “The restlessness that has always characterised Dino, became a stimulus to constantly search for new paths that in turn opened up to many others: all complementary, all different. ‘Susegad’ is one of these paths….” Furthermore, this exhibition reveals another colourful side of Dino: a man of affection and relationships, of great planning and effective actions for the benefit of others.
“Susegad”, Dino explains, “is a Goan way of being and seeing life.” Every Goan understands what the word means although it could also be used with different meanings and even construed derogatively. However, the artist opts for a positive sense to pay homage to all lovers of optimism who respect nature’s rhythm, balance, and beauty as well as social harmony and peace. In Goa ‘tudo está bem’, he continues, and if so why should one think of disturbing this harmonious state of things, balance and beauty? The paintings express indeed the fact that Goa was and is very good and that the optimistic Goans must also remain restlessly alert to preserve this positive state of affairs! The title of the exhibition contains an interesting contradiction for although it appeals to optimism and calmness at the same time, it proposes also an inner sense of restlessness and realism that alone can produce and sustain that ‘Susegad-ness’.
This exhibition of sixteen paintings was curated by Dino himself. When seen as a whole, this exhibition could be interpreted as an attempt to showcase post-humanism, a fusion of the objective and the subjective or that harmony between the human and the natural/animal. The paintings deal with several Goan realities: human/women’s activities (paintings titled ‘Women in the market’), religion (‘Holy Family of Fonseca’), flora, fauna, landscapes and the people who inhabit them and leisure. Each painting carries a title and a brief description of about 40 words in three languages, Portuguese, English and Konkani in Devanagari script, which can be assessed from the exhibition catalogue. The artist sent one image of each painting to 16 persons in Goa and elsewhere and requested them to write their impressions and feelings. Everyone responded quickly.
The paintings tell the story of Goa and invite the viewer to re-present it with refreshing candour, this being necessary to preserve what previous generations had preserved for us. They are paintings that dialogue with the active observer as well as his or her cultural heritage. In these oeuvres, we see the good past in the present, however, the artist is not oblivious that what is good can easily be ruined or even disappear. Events in Goa remind us that social and environmental disturbances must be loudly prevented. The exhibition is a statement that whatever is good must not let go.
A striking feature of the exhibition is the five ordinary women vendors in five colourful paintings. The line, colours, proportion, balance, and realism are notable. They speak for the traditions of Goa, the Goan lifestyle and local food habits. Dino painted them because the transmission of culture is done through the work of women. These paintings represent the feminine side of life: they are the keepers of traditions, customs and of secrets – of everything good!
Dino also painted a large (100x160cm) ’Holy Family of Fonseca’ on brown paper with Chinese ink. He drew inspiration from the paintings of Angelo da Fonseca. The choice of the ‘family’ he said, was because this institution and its values are undergoing a drastic transformation. The caption describing this work reads, “The blending of the three figures through fine lines and three colours makes for a truly united Holy Family. The Orient is evident and accentuated by the oil lamp. The meditative looks, the tenderness, the human touch and care we see, invite us to contemplate the Divine.”
Besides, six paintings but smaller in size by three guest artists, Catarina Guerra, Manuela Alegre and Constança Vasconcelos, could also be seen in the same space. Since these six works were inspired by the three artists’ first visit to Goa, the curator discovered in them a meaningful artistic connection to ‘Susegad’. They were presented to the public in the same place in 2018 in the exhibition ‘Sentir Goa’ (Feel Goa).
Dino was born in Beira, Mozambique in 1956. In 1976, he migrated to Portugal and since then he lives in Lisbon. He is a civil engineer who began his career as a teacher, but soon he left it. Then he worked for petroleum multinationals TOTAL and Cepsa for about 40 years, 30 of which were as a director in the oil sector. He was a member of the management board of Casa de Goa between 2010 and 2014 and organised more than 100 activities. Dino continues to actively participate in and organise cultural events. Moreover, he is co-author (with four others) of the book ‘Goa – Roteiro de uma viagem’ (Lisboa, 2020, pp. 122), a travelogue with delightful images and illuminating narrative written after an excursion to Goa that Dino organised for 21 Portuguese. This wonderful book formed also the basis for ‘Susegad’. The series of paintings on Goa revisits and reincarnates the imagery that remained imprinted on his memory during his first trip to Goa in 2002, a visit that his wife, Bela, had encouraged him to appreciate his least-known roots.
Bela has been a companion in this artistic journey and Dino is especially grateful for her patience and support. I had the opportunity to see his vast collection of paintings that encompasses a thematic diversity. Now he spends more time at the ateliers of ‘Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes, Lisbon, the alma mater of many great Portuguese artists. Open to new ideas and experiences, Dino’s artworks have acquired a mature character.
On the last day, there was a release of a catalogue of the exhibition ‘Susegad’. The visitor’s book filled with refreshing impressions and notes will urge Dino onto new artistic paths.
