Novela , 2009

The Moment: Paintings by Michael De Brito
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Contemporary realist artist Michael De Brito creates paintings, some larger than 6 x 8 feet, that depict moments of everyday life - from beachside gatherings to kitchen scenes. In several works, family members and guests are comfortably situated around a dining table sharing conversation, food and drink. De Brito’s grandmother, a subject of numerous paintings, is the matriarch of the family unit and master of this energetic domestic world. In Novela (pictured), De Brito has sensitively rendered his grandmother through beautifully varied brushworks. He captures the quiet moment of an individual who has been laboring over household tasks and lovingly preparing food for family and friends. In these paintings the artist provides a glimpse into his Portuguese heritage. Lavishly rendered traditional food, patterned ceramics and vividly colored decorative objects surround the inhabitants. The casual environments portrayed in De Brito’s paintings induce a sensory, and perhaps familiar, experience for the viewer. The sounds of layered laughter and conversations of dinner guests are fused with the aromas of sweet bread baking, sizzling meats and other sumptuous dishes.

De Brito received a BFA from the Parson School of Design in New York City and also studied at the New York Academy of Art. He is the recipient of the prestigious Pollack-Krasner Grant. De Brito’s works have been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, London; the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh; and the Presidential Museum, Lisbon.