The Amazon by José Claudio da Silva
On board of the “Garbe’, with Paulo Vanzolini

José Claudio’s Account – Audio Transcription

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🎵Let’s go away, eh, eh
Let’s go away, my friend
Let’s see the world, eh, eh
Let’s see the world, my friend🎵
It’s always a pleasure to talk about the trip I took
to the Madeira River, with [Paulo] Vanzolini.
Actually, this trip started in the 1950s,
precisely when I met Vanzolini in São Paulo.
Everybody was dying to go to Europe,
I wanted to see Brazil.
And Vanzolini did not forget that!
And many years later, over 10 years,
he called me!
I didn’t even have a phone, I was at my sister-in-law’s,
She called me: Telephone!
I picked it up and it was Vanzoli
He said: Do you still want to see the Amazon?
I said: I do!
He said: Then get a ticket at Varig airlines and meet me in Belém.
And so I did! And we went to Manaus!
I was surrounded by water the whole time,
Because I didn’t sleep...
in these more than 2 months we spent travelling,
I didn't sleep a single day on land, it was always on the Garbe,
that was dragged by the tugboat Lindolpho.
We spent some days at the Port of Manaus, at the Rodo.
I even painted a picture!
And then... we set off!
Indeed, this trip was so important to me,
that it completely changed my life!
I spent a year in Europe with a scholarship,
but I came back... in a way, knowing what I already knew.
Actually, the trip to the Amazon
just confirmed what I wanted to find,
it taught me what I had to do, how I should live!
It was the biggest turning point of my life,
that journey through the Madeira River,
surrounded by animals, jungle and water!
Mostly because I abandoned all my ...
I wouldn’t say prejudices, but all my previous knowledge.
Everything I knew so far, of course it was there with me.
I never forgot Picasso, I never forgot anyone!
But on that trip I brought along a roll of canvas,
and said to myself: I will paint everything I see ahead of me
without having any project beforehand.
I started writing down Vanzolini’s chats,
(he liked to sing) those little samba tunes he sang
and the conversations I found most interesting
while I kept on painting…
I painted everything I saw,
the unbelievable distances of the river.
A river you keep sailing on...
It's a... a river-ocean indeed!
And other things, the events,
the different waters, and so forth.
I knew I had a unique commitment,
that I should keep to myself the memory of every little thing, of every hour.
It wasn’t in Europe that I got my freedom.
It was there, on that trip to the Amazon.
It’s funny that, after a while,
Krajcberg and a Frenchman – a philosopher – launched a challenge
for Brazilian painters to paint Brazil.
And Frederico Morais thought that my trip
had already been the result of that “call to arms”.
But no...my trip took place many years before.
I felt like a pioneer!
Until today, I believe in this kind of painting,
free of theories.
Or perhaps having already been quite digested... I don’t know,
I wasn’t born to be a master!
That trip was my great happiness!
I’m so thankful to my good friend Paulo Vanzolini!
Me and my wife, we’ve already celebrated our 60th anniversary,
we thank him for showcasing my paintings!
I’m glad they’re in a prominent place and are well taken care of!
Best wishes!
Production team: Mateus Rodrigues, Manoel Vicente, Mané Tatu. Olinda/Pernambuco