Filipe Miguel das Dores, a young local artist who is currently studying Fine Art at the Macau Polytechnic Institute, has just been awarded the prestigious John Purcell Paper Prize for his successful portrayal of the beauty of Macau's nighttime in his painting "Mario Night".
The John Purcell Paper Prize was among several awards and prizes presented during the 203rd exhibition of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours of the United Kingdom that took place between March 25 and April 11 at the Mall Galleries in London.
Filipe had no expectations that his painting would be chosen as a candidate for any prizes at the exhibition, let alone be one of the winners, as there were more than 700 paintings submitted this year from all over the world.
In his winning piece, Filipe painted a small street in the central district near the Macau Cathedral.
"In the painting, I replace a brick wall with a scene from Nintendo Gameboy’s 'Super Mario Bros' game. It's because there are many pipes on that wall, which remind me of the game that I played when I was very young," he says.
The judges found that the style of Filipe's water colour painting was very different from other water colour paintings.
"Water colour paintings are traditionally required to demonstrate the quality of three-dimension and perspective. But what I wanted to do was to forgo these traditional qualities and give viewers the feeling that they are actually walking along this street in the painting."
Many of Filipe's pieces depict Macau's streets at night. In each painting, the artist includes a topic that prompts discussion among viewers.
"During the day, Macau is really crowded. Therefore, I want to create a placid atmosphere so that viewers can contemplate the questions and topics that I raise through the paintings," he comments.
Interestingly, Filipe used to play for local football clubs in Macau and only took up painting around five years ago when he was helping out at the workshop of his cousin, another local artist José Lázaro das Dores.
José thinks that what Filipe has achieved is not just because of his talent, but also his hardwork. He believes that art has given Filipe something to focus on in his life, and has not only changed his life, but also shows others that dedication and hard work really can pay off.
