My name is GERMANO. I am 80 years old and spent 50 years of my life as an executive in the financial market. I did not attend a Faculty of Fine Arts, but in my youth, I took painting classes with the great Di Cavalcanti. I began painting and photographing at age 75, creating a specific "DNA" in abstract painting and developing a photographic project titled Nuances da Natureza (Nuances of Nature). My paintings and photographs have been exhibited in various places across Brazil—including São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Olinda, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and Santa Catarina—as well as abroad in Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, and Madrid. Two of my photographs were even featured in articles in New York. This work is the realization of a dream that destiny only allowed me to fulfill now, at age 80.
How did your journey into the art world begin?
I retired at 70 and decided I wanted to realize my lifelong dream of showing my art, both in painting and photography. Encouraged by curators and gallerists, I began to work, and I received an acceptance that deeply fulfills me and makes me happy. Today, at 80, I exhibit my work and am recognized in the art market.
How would you describe your artistic style?
My painting is abstract; I try to spark curiosity through circles of various sizes and colors. In photography, I focus on details of nature that few people pay attention to, such as tree bark, fungi, and roots.
What is your creative process like?
In painting, I don’t sketch beforehand; I do what I feel and develop the designs as I work—they simply flow. In photography, I observe, research, and look for things that are different.
What materials and techniques do you use most often?
In painting, I use acrylic paint, acrylic modeling paste, and objects I create myself to execute the work. In photography, I currently use an iPhone 16.
What is the meaning of art in your life?
Fulfillment, joy, peace, and the will to live.
What advice would you offer to artists just starting out?
Believe in yourself and your work. Be certain that everything is possible when you do what you love.
How do you stay up to date on trends?
By reading, researching, visiting galleries, talking with artists, curators, and gallerists—and, above all, by constantly trying to innovate.
What is the role of the artist in today's society?
To bring joy, color, beauty, and curiosity. To make people think when looking at your work. The world has room for all arts, which can change the world for the better.
