The artist died this Tuesday (6), in Vassouras, in the interior of Rio de Janeiro. Born in Joinville (SC), over more than 60 years of career, he was a painter, sculptor, draftsman, illustrator and cartoonist. The multi-artist had international recognition, with exhibitions spread across the world.
It was in one of them, in Paris, that filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet discovered Juarez Machado's paintings. In them, he found the colors he was looking for to use in the film he was producing, in the early 2000s: "The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain".
Jeunet photographed paintings, books and other works by Juarez to show the film crew. With this, the Brazilian artist became the inspiration for the film's color palette, which became a classic. Two paintings by Juarez Machado appear in the work, positioned next to the bed in the protagonist's room.
The two paintings on the sides of the character Amelie Poulain's bed are by Juarez Machado — Photo: Reproduction
Journalist José Carlos Fernandes, who interviewed Juarez more than once, says that Juarez repeated that he lived in France for a long time without feeling considered an artist. Therefore, the recognition that came with the film moved him.
Being an aesthetic inspiration for the film represented a turning point in this perception, because, as Fernandes highlights, "it is common that, when researching the film palette, for framing, they look for classic artists, who are already mature in their color palette".
It was in the 1960s that Galeria Cocaco, in Curitiba, hosted Juarez's first exhibition. The space was opened in 1957 and became a "point" for intellectuals, artists and young people of the time, who had concerns linked to modernism, according to José Carlos Fernandes, author of the book "Um place nome Cocaco".
Juarez began visiting Cocaco along with other fellow artists and, over time, became a regular visitor. Eugenia Petriu, owner of the gallery, remembers that the artist's presence in the gallery not only attracted those interested in art, but also the city's young women.
"They didn't understand anything about works of art, but they went there to see Juarez Machado. He gave me a 'headache', because suddenly groups of girls came to look at the works of art, but they didn't understand or ask anything, they went to see Juarez. I don't know if he knew that", says Petriu, jokingly.
Described by people who knew him as a "gentleman", Juarez became one of the gallery's greatest successes.
"There was an exhibition we did that even had people on the other side of the street. There were a lot of people. He was very loved by everyone and was always with his inseparable friends", he describes, referring to fellow artists Fernando Calderari and João Osório Brzezinski.
The gallerist also remembers that Juarez was always doodling. At the time, his main language was still drawing and he had not ventured into oil paintings as much.
Years later, in 1971, the gallery held a new exhibition, with humorous drawings by the artist, still an exponent. "It was a success, full house, cocktail party, etc... Unfortunately we didn't sell anything. The public only felt the humor, but not the graphic strength of the work", he recalls.
Juarez was also one of the first artists to join the cast of Simões de Assis, today one of the main galleries in Latin America dedicated to modern and contemporary art. It was after the artist spent time in France that the gallery owner, Waldir Simões de Assis Filho, extended the invitation.
From Europe, Juarez brought a series of paintings that represented what the gallerist describes as "sensual and mysterious women, dressed in black, sitting at tables in bars, surrounded by an atmosphere of magic, nostalgia and a certain ambiguity between the real and the imaginary".
"I remember that meeting very well, because those paintings revealed something surprising: their own language, a personality and an ability to create a recognizable universe. There was in those women, at the same time, sensuality, humor, mystery and a certain loneliness. It was a very particular painting, which could not be confused with that of any other artist", details the gallerist.
Work "Chateaux Bourdeaux", by Juarez Machado — Photo: Dico Kremer
According to Waldir, Juarez had the ability to "observe everyday life, transform it into an image and, at the same time, build his own, immediately recognizable universe." The business partnership between the two also became a friendship. "He was extremely pleasant to be around. Witty, with a very particular sense of humor and, at the same time, great wisdom", he describes.
Artist Teca Martins, who met Juarez when they were both students at the Paraná School of Music and Fine Arts (Embap), also remembers the artist's humor and creativity as outstanding characteristics.
"Juarez is a very interesting person, friend, partner and has great creative potential", describes Teca, who was involved in the sale of one of Juarez's first works, purchased by an aunt of hers.
According to Teca, Juarez built such a unique language that it became easy to identify any of his work. "The biggest characteristic is the line, it's the freedom he has in his work. But what I liked most about Juarez was his humor. His humor drawings were fantastic. He had a liveliness", he remembers.
Much celebrated by peers and the public while he was still alive, Juarez celebrated his 80th birthday in 2022, at the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON).
Curated by Edson Machado, the artist's brother, "Juarez Machado – Around the World in 80 Years" brought together 166 works, covering the beginning of the painter's career in the capital of Paraná to the international phase, with his move to Paris. The artist, who at the time already lived outside of Paraná, visited the exhibition months after it opened.
"Calçada de Copacabana" and "Untitled", works by Juarez Machado that were exhibited at the Oscar Niemeyer Museum — Photo: Dico Kremer
When announcing the artist's death, the Instituto Internacional Juarez Machado (IIJM) highlighted that he "built a unique trajectory in the arts, recognized in Brazil and abroad."
Juarez was a pioneer of comedy design on Brazilian television. In the 70s, he made history on Rede Globo's Fantástico, in which he had a scene in which he acted as a mime and interacted with his own drawings.
According to the Institute, the artist demonstrated talent since childhood. It was at the age of 3 that he made his first "recorded" drawing: a battle tank drawn on the page of a newspaper that reported on the Second World War.
The original was kept by his mother and is part of the artist's collection, at the Instituto Internacional Juarez Machado, in Joinville.
As a teenager, he worked as an illustrator for a pharmaceutical laboratory. In Curitiba, between 1961 and 1965, he studied at the Paraná School of Music and Fine Arts (Embap). In the same period, he had his first solo exhibition at Galeria Cocaco.
Years later, he set up a studio in Rio de Janeiro, actively participating in the city's artistic scene.
He was a cartoonist for the country's main newspapers. During the civic-military dictatorship, Juarez circumvented censorship with acidic contributions to vehicles such as "O Cruzeiro", "Fatos e Fotos", "Desfile", "Ele e Ela" and "O Pasquim", in addition to "Jornal do Brasil".
In the 70s, he was part of the team that worked on creating Fantástico. Acting as the program's set designer, he produced sets and effects for artists' music videos. In the 80s, he moved to Paris, where he set up an international studio.
In Joinville, in 2014, the Juarez Machado International Institute was opened, a non-profit institution dedicated to the dissemination of art in the North of Santa Catarina.
