I know it is not an easy task to organize a retrospective of an artist of the magnitude of an immortal in Brazilian art. Yes, because Ferreira already has his uniform from the Brazilian Academy of Plastic Arts. However, it was with great joy that I received the invitation to curate the exhibition. Summarizing 50 years of art in a range of pieces that represent this trajectory is a somewhat difficult task.

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Initially, I focused on the most representative, let's say naive, paintings that started this journey. There was the essence of his daily life, his first experience, the most sincere records of a typically northeastern society such as fairs, dances, games, children's games, etc. According to the artist, when he was still young, in conversation with his father, he told him encouragingly: paint, go be a painter. On the same day, Ferreira bought canvas, paints and brushes, beginning his journey. This is how a great and talented artist emerged.

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For a second choice, I spoke a lot with the artist and realized that his ceramics emerged when he saw the world outside, lands beyond the sea, which encouraged him to work with the third dimension and print his peculiar colors on the panels, in utilitarian ceramics and sculptures. There are birds, turtles, pigs, armadillos, emus and human figures, in addition to the already known masks. All made in clay (clay).

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It is worth mentioning that his professional work began at Galeria Officina, in Recife (1972). During this period he presented a series of mini paintings; moving on to larger frames. He was later invited to show his work in Paris, where he spent a year living and painting, visiting museums and artists' studios, thus awakening an interest in painting on ceramics. Back in Brazil, in his homeland, Pernambuco, he began modeling and painting his own ceramics and making panels for buildings and public bodies, work that he continues to do today.

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After a few years, he told me that the flame of figurativism had been rekindled and he presented us with the beautiful series where the artist himself appears in the studio of the great artists in the history of art. Ferreira and Matisse, Ferreira and Picasso, Ferreira and Gauguin, among others, meet there. This beautiful work enchants us with its unusualness and the artist's courage in appropriating certain images from world-renowned artists.

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The Satye series came in a true explosion of colors. In it, the artist shows all his ability to make use of white space, a real challenge for any painter. In these works, the vibrant colors catch our eyes and are easily comparable to a pyrotechnic show.

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Closing this cycle of 5 decades, nothing is more encouraging in such a troubled time - which was the recent pandemic - as his latest series entitled Amazônia. In this most recent phase, the artist reduced his palette and presents us with a very difficult painting in green. The paints overlap in a mass of greens of the most diverse hues. Here contemplation is mandatory, as they are paintings in large formats and persistently highlighted by the infinite strength of the Amazon rainforest.

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Congratulations, Ferreira!