Sem título 1990

This is a painting by Menez. It's undated, and untitled, but clearly figuration is central to his process. I’m really drawn to the way Menez uses colour, particularly in the figures - how he uses colour to build up the forms with subtle gradations and muted tones. See how he models the figures with light and shadow but also flattens them out and makes them graphic. It's also like stage design - not quite surreal but a little bit off! Take the figure on the right, stepping towards us. The way the paint is applied here is relatively thin and transparent, allowing the texture of the support to peek through in places. The brushstrokes are visible but softened, creating a sense of movement and capturing a fleeting moment in time. There is an implied narrative but its never quite spelled out. Its a dialogue with painters like De Chirico, but more free-form and loose.