Santa Monica, USA, 1947

Brazil and the Amazon River Basin have been the object and inspiration of my work for over twenty-two years. Naturalistic shapes similar to hives, vertebrae, cocoons, anthills, shapes of plants and insects are scattered on the surface of my work. The Amazon River is an appropriate metaphor for the act of digging up memories of objects and visions, collected from trips through its rugged course.

My work transcribes the memory of these objects and the impressions of what was seen and felt. In its flow, the river brings an object to the surface, then swallows it again and resurfaces it later on. My pick is often curled under a layer of darkness, suggesting mystery. These impressions constitute the memory of a river contained on both sides by a tall, dark forest; intimidating and beautiful. When the forest embraces you, it embraces you as a whole.

Visiting the region three or four times a year, I find that the landscape has different moods. These new paintings show the contrast and conflict between the beauty of the Amazon and its permanent destruction. Modern man sees the forest as an enormous wealth – but at the same time we witness its exhaustion. Unlike indigenous groups, who have lived in harmony there for generations, we still cannot find the necessary balance to protect this wealth for the future.