IN PETTERSON SILVA’S
PAINTINGS, THE MOMENT
BECOMES ETERNAL.
EVERY FEATHER, EVERY
GLINT OF LIGHT IN A
MACAW’S EYE,
every shadow cast by the curve of its wings — all are captured with an almost
impossible precision, as if the artist had learned not only to observe, but to breathe
in rhythm with nature itself. His hyperrealism is not mere technique; it is a form of
devotion.
Raised among the deep greens and winding rivers of Mato Grosso, Petterson grew up
in constant dialogue with the forest. Fishing, watching, and listening to the piercing
calls of parrots, admiring Indigenous graphics and feather art, he understood early
on that nature is not a backdrop — it is a presence. This intimacy with the landscape
shaped not only his vision, but also his palette. In his canvases, the Amazon is not
simply painted — it pulses with life.
Influenced by masters like Portinari, Titian, and Caravaggio, he learned to build
narratives with light and shadow. The chiaroscuro he employs doesn’t just highlight
form; it dramatizes the experience. A toucan’s flight might emerge from a dense
penumbra, as if crossing the threshold between the visible and the imagined.