Mario Henrique is a Portuguese painter who began his career in internet marketing and web development businesses after graduating from the University of Fine Arts in Lisbon with a degree in design. While working as a creative director in Portugal, Spain, and Brazil, he recruited and led teams. However, his concentration shifted towards modern painting with time, which had always been a side passion.
He is a prolific portraitist who is highly captivated by the unpredictability of human nature. The fleeting glances, the impermanence of facial expressions, and unexpected movement, these dynamics can be seen in his abstract expressionism-influenced Ballerinas Series.
Mario paints abruptly and spontaneously, using unusual and harsh materials such as cardboard, inverted canvases, and hardware tools. Drippings, splashes, and paint tosses are his method of enhancing the physicality of the painting process which is visible in the completed piece.
In 2016, Mario was awarded an Honorable Mention for his participation in the Brasilia Biennial of Contemporary Arts. His art has been displayed in both local and international galleries. He has also been featured in Saatchi Art’s Inside the Studio, and he’s represented by the Bill Lowe Gallery and ArtCatto, among other notable galleries.
“Painting is a form of thievery, a heist from the real world,” says Mario. A painting is a reasonable version of reality based on prior recollections tainted by imagination, rather than an accurate description. Art is impossible without this reinterpretation and without an audience to judge it.