Chico da Silva, (Francisco Domingos da Silva; c.1910/1922, Alto Tejo, Brazil – 1985, Fortaleza, Brazil)was a painter associated with “naïve” or self-taught artistic practice. He developed the majority of his artistic production in Fortaleza. His work gained both national and international recognition from the 1940s onward.
In the early 1940s, Chico da Silva began drawing on the walls of houses in the Praia Formosa area using charcoal and chalk. A decisive moment in his career occurred in 1943, when he met the Swiss artist Jean-Pierre Chabloz who facilitated his introduction to the local art circuit. That same year, he participated in the Salão de Abril in Fortaleza, followed by the Salão Cearense de Belas Artes in 1944. In 1945, his work was exhibited at Galeria Askanasy alongside established Brazilian artists. His first international exposure followed soon after, with a solo exhibition at Galerie Pour l’Art in 1952, accompanied by critical attention in European art publications.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he participated in exhibitions such as Arts primitifs et modernes brésiliens at the Musée d’ethnographie de Neuchâtel and held his first solo exhibition in Brazil in 1961 in Fortaleza. In 1966, he represented Brazil at the Venice Biennale, where he received an Honorable Mention. He also exhibited in Paris at Galerie Jacques Massol (1965) and participated in major Brazilian exhibitions, including the 1st Latin American Biennial of São Paulo in 1978.
Chico da Silva’s work is characterized by composed pictorial surfaces populated by hybrid creatures, vegetal forms and imaginary animals. His technique demonstrates a controlled use of line and color, often structured through repetitive patterning and detailed surface articulation. His practice developed through sustained production, teaching and collaboration, notably as the central figure of the “Pirambu School” where he worked with and influenced younger artists in Fortaleza.