March 6 - April 1, 2021
From the gallery:
“Archway Gallery presents There Is An Instant, featuring new paintings by Silvia PintoSouza, on view March 6 – April 1, 2021.
When Silvia PintoSouza was very young, she read a poem titled, “There Is An Instant,” by Guillermo Valencia, a 19th century Colombian poet and statesman.* The poem moved her deeply and has stayed with her ever since. “My original theme for this exhibition was “Old Barns” then the poem resurfaced from my memory in a very loud way and I was compelled to broaden that theme,” says PintoSouza. “A feeling of nostalgia took over — a feeling of what was and is not anymore, but the spirit of which can still be felt.” Looking through the doors of an old and dilapidated barn, PintoSouza senses the presence of those who were there before, “the generations of families who cherished, worked, and stored so many hopes in it. These are nostalgic places imprinted with stories and memories that are not mine, but which I can sense. To me, this is the strength and symbolism of barns, their tangible link to the past.”
There is an Instant captures the moment when the sun sets — the end of a day, as well as a metaphor for the end of a life — a mission accomplished in a beautiful and generous way, full of nostalgia and feeling for what is about to end. A beautiful sunset can be enjoyed for just a few minutes before it ends, but the spiritual effect of having viewed it persists long afterwards. “I see in both, a crumbling barn and a glorious sunset, the stillness of existence,” says PintoSouza, “a silence that invades the moment. They both symbolize the completion of a journey, the successful completion of a day or a life’s work. They contain magic!”
Silvia PintoSouza’s paintings are intimate, romantic, and direct. Her message is the image itself, simply what you see. “Critics often overthink a piece of work,” she remarks. “They overlook the possibility that ‘the moment of beauty’ is what the artist wanted, nothing more. I hope that when you look at my work you are caught in that moment of beauty and living it, because to me Art is comfort. It is where we take shelter. It is the shoulder where we can rest our head.”
THERE IS AN INSTANT (Translation from Spanish by the artist)
There is an instant at dusk
when things shine more,
a brief throbbing moment
of a slow intensity.
Tree branches turn velvety,
towers smooth their contour,
a bird engraves its silhouette
on a sapphire like background.
The afternoon changes,
it concentrates on forgetting the light,
and it is filled by the soft gift
of a melancholic stillness,
as if the orb gathered
all its goodness and beauty,
all its faith, all its grace
to face the arriving shadow…
My being flourishes at this hour
of a mysterious blooming;
I carry in my soul a twilight,
of dreamy tranquility;
in it burst the shoots
of a spring like hope,
and in it I inebriate myself with aromas
of a garden which is ‘somewhere beyond’!
*Guillermo Valencia (1873— 1943)
Studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, spoke several languages, translated other literary works from French, Italian, and Portuguese authors, and led an active career as a statesman and a diplomat being twice a candidate for the presidency of Colombia in 1918 and 1930. It was actually his son Guillermo León Valencia who became president from 1962 to 1966.
ABOUT ARCHWAY GALLERY Artist owned and operated since 1976. Archway Gallery, one of Houston’s and the nation’s oldest artist-owned and operated galleries, is located at 2305 Dunlavy and is open Monday – Saturday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 – 5 p.m. Since 1976, Archway Gallery has been exhibiting the work of the area’s finest artists, providing a great selection of affordable, high quality art including sculpture, pottery and painting in a variety of media and styles. One of the more than 30 member artists is always on site, providing visitors a unique opportunity to meet the artists who created the work, offering a personal insight into the process. Each month features a special exhibition highlighting member artist(s). The public is invited to the monthly opening receptions that celebrate the new installations and work, usually held the first Saturday of each month from 5 – 8 p.m. In addition to monthly exhibitions, Archway also hosts a variety of demonstrations and monthly readings for local writers and authors, as well as a “Tea and Tour” program, providing visitors with a free artist-led tour of the current exhibition, followed by tea and refreshments. With 30 artist-members, Archway Gallery is THE destination in the Houston area for affordable art directly from the artist. For more information, visit ArchwayGallery.com or call 713.522.2409. Like Archway Gallery on Facebook.”
Reception: March 6, 2021 | 6:30–7:30 pm
Virtual reception, via ArchwayGallery.com or Facebook Live
2305-A Dunlavy
Houston, 77006 TX
(713) 522-2409
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