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PAULINHO: THE ART OF THE HAND-PAINTED SIGN Click here to access Paulinho' Signs Gallery
Some painted signs stand out from the landscape due to their mediocrity (lettering painted quickly, not always legible, sometimes with grammatical errors), simplicity, or embellished style (huge lettering, painted in bright colors, covering an entire wall). Other signs,
which are quite rare, stand out for their artistic quality.
Wanting to know more, I called Paulinho who warmly invited me to visit his workshop, located in the Madureira neighborhood, the land of funk and samba, a Mecca of street trade. Since the bus dropped me off several blocks from the workshop's building, I could confirm en route that Paulinho's talent left little room for competition. Most of the neighborhood's businesses with painted signs had used his services. It is difficult
to miss Paulinho's workshop. He has put up colored placards displaying
prices, across practically the whole front, all the way up to the sidewalk
(prices are calculated by the square meter
There are
plenty of orders; Paulinho and Dom work without rest to finish orders
from one day to the next. Dom takes care of the simplest signs, those
without designs or elaborate typeface. However, it's certainly not for
a lack of talent as Dom designs magnificent t-shirts and samba school
shirts.(click
here to see Dom's t-shirts and designs)
Paulinho has never had any professional or family training. His taste and talent for painting are gifts that he has had since childhood. He learned sign-making techniques by watching painters work.
I completely understood the difference between a letrista and an artist while watching Paulinho work. First, he traces a canvas with chalk on the wax cloth that will be painted. He explained to me that he rarely worries whether the letters are exactly the same size because what counts is the general impression and equilibrium.
Therein lies
Paulinho's talent: while respecting these technical limitations, he is
able to make each of his signs a work of art.
Paulinho
Artes Tel : +21
2464 6671 Click here to access Paulinho' Signs Gallery
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Copyright 2002 Marc Voelckel Updates
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Not
long after moving to Rio, I was amazed to discover, right next door, a
small restaurant's painted sign that displayed the house specialties.
The colors formed a perfect harmony. The lettering seemed to stand out
in relief. Words were no longer just words but images in a painting, which
was signed, "Paulinho Artes." Soon, I realized that the works
of Paulinho were scattered throughout the city. I started to see Rio as
a sort of very large, yet disorganized museum.
Without
a doubt, Paulinho's talent is his best advertising, but the market is
competitive. Not only are advertisement painters numerous in Rio but one
must also take into account the competition from mechanized methods, like
adhesive signs. While observing businesses, I thought I could tell that
in Rio painted advertising was losing ground to adhesive and printed signs.
However, Paulinho explained to me that this competition wasn't to be feared,
especially due to the prices of painted advertising, 30% less according
to him. 
Paulinho's
workshop is not very big but it's perfectly well organized. Two large
work tables, one for him, the other for his apprentice, Dom. In one corner,
brushes and paint are kept. In the back of the workshop, there's a small
table where blank canvasses are stored and unfinished orders are hung.
Paulinho's
unique style, which some people try to copy without success, is the result
of his talent and over 4 years of improvement and discovery, as well as
observing the works of other sign painters in Rio. He admits to being
especially influenced one of them, Odaïr, who doesn't seem to be
working any longer. Therefore, I wasn't able to find any of his work in
the streets of Rio. He is also influenced by some graffiti artists, particularly
for lettering relief. 
In
Mexico, commercial painters are called rotulistas. In Brazil, there is
no synonym. Consequently, I asked Paulinho how he described his profession.
He responded clearly: he is an artist and one must make the distinction
between artists and letristas, lettering painters with specific professional
training, who are satisfied with painting letters without any artistic
effect. 
Generally,
a client's order is made up of information and slogans that will be featured
on the sign or advertising placard, as well as the size of the advertisement.
It is up to Paulinho to decide on the composition, colors, typography,
while respecting a double limitation: on one hand, he must respect a style
unique to each business or service; on the other hand, the sign must attract
the passer-by's attention, while rapidly communicating all of its information.
