The world-renowned great naturalist painter Banksy allegedly once said: “All artists are willing to suffer for their work. But why are so few prepared to learn to draw?”
19th-century Portuguese naturalist painter Silva Porto didn’t suffer for his work too much. He is a big name in Portuguese art. He studied in Paris for a few months and even exhibited there at the World’s Fair of 1878. In Portugal, he’s known as a “world-renowned artist.”
But Silva Porto did learn how to draw. And this makes him better than most artists today, world-renowned or otherwise. His talent is made clear by The 500 Drawings of Silva Porto in the SNBA collection, presented by the National Society of Fine Arts.
Architecture, machinery, nature, human anatomy — all of these were subjects of intense scholarly study for Mr. Porto. Upon taking it all in, art enthusiasts are left with two desires: to draw better or to never draw again. And that’s what good art should do.
The show is free and up until March 7th. There’s a very good chance that the dates will be extended, but get there sooner than later just in case if you want to see what talent looks like up close and personal.
If you, however, have other things going on, then check out this virtual tour of a small percentage of the 500:
