For the last years Jorge Portela has been working on creating innovative art. He has found out and proven to himself that the computer era can also be transposed to art, becoming a reviving part of Painting, Sculpting, Photography and other Visual Arts, for it enables the artist to synthesize the Arts status quo and create entirely new art forms. Virtual Art Works also has a far and wider reach potential which was unheard of until today.
Jorge Portela's Art Work under a solid foundation appearance is characterized by profound disturbing elements. The constant use of new digital techniques while creating demonstrates deep thought on the limits of painting and photography.
In the artistic series "7 Virtual Sins" it is clear the photographic presence as a pictorial mutation dynamic, while "Virtual Dance" and "Virtual Jazz" have the same photographic presence on a more conceptual context.
In "Virtual City" and "Z Series" there is an almost absolute sinthesis of the digital technique elevated in order to create a visual art that cannot fit under the traditional terms for art placement.
"Abstract 3", "Abstract 5", "Abstract 6" are different results of Jorge Portela's attempt to create a new abstract Art based on computer work.
Jorge Portela was born in Lisbon in 1949. His first individual painting and drawing exhibit was held at the "Diário de Notícias"Art Gallery in 1964. He graduated in Law at the Lisbon's Law University. He attended an engraving course at the Portuguese art school ARCO and a photography course at the Portuguese Photography Institute in Lisbon. He also attended the Fine Arts course at the "Paris American Academy" in Paris. In the 90's Jorge Portela started his Digital Series Art work. In 2004 he was invited to a case study for Corel and in 2005 for MyPictureMarc. In that same year he was guest artist at the "Science and Art" Meeting in Arrábida (Portugal), which was organized by the Complexity Sciences Institute promoted by the Orient foundation and the Gulbenkian Foundation. He has also participated in a movie about digital painting for the National Moving Images Archive. He is exhibited at Martins Correia Museum and represented at Boston Cyberarts Festival, Moca - Museum of Computer Arts in New York, Rhizome at the new Museum in New York, ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Community in California and The Saatchi Gallery - Contemporary art in London
Exhibit at "International Market" Lisbon, opening exhibit of the Gallery Átrio, Lisbon, Travelling exhibition promoted by the Tourism Secretary of State office, the Estoril Casino Art Gallery, "O País" Art Gallery, at the Portuguese consulates in New York and Chicago, Digital Art Exhibit "7 Virtual Sins" at Artespaço Gallery.
April Salon at the Portuguese National Fine-Arts Society; Third Plastic Arts Salon from Ferreira Borges School (Casa da Moeda 1979 award); 14th and 16th "Grand Prix International d'Art Contemporain de Monte Carlo"; 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Autumn Salons at the Estoril Casino Art Gallery (Honourable Mentions in 1980 and 1981); Teodoro dos Santos Award in 1983 (and guest artist in 1984); 1st and 2nd Lisbon Salons at Palácio Foz (Honourable Mention in 1981); Exhibition "Upstairs", Chicago; 2nd Biennial of Vila Nova de Cerveira; 4th Plastic Arts Salon at Ribatejo (First Prize); Exhibit at the Valenças Palace, in Sintra; 1st and 2nd Spring Salon at the Estoril Casino Art Gallery; 3rd Ibero-American Art Biennial in Mexico; 1st Art Salon of the Ritz Hotel in Lisbon; Guest Artist at the Exhibit "25 years at the Service of Art and Culture"; The Portuguese Consulates Foreign Office Traveling Exhibit in Brasil and African Countries; Portuguese Brazilian Engraving Exhibit; Guest Artist at the "25 Years at Estoril Sol" Exhibit; "20eme Anniversaire Paris American Academy" in Paris; "20 Portuguese Contemporary Artists in Madrid"; Portuguese Contemporary Engravings Exhibit in Mexico; Opening Exhibit at the R75 Art Gallery; Opening Exhibit of the Oficina 59 Art Gallery; Collective Exhibit about Lisbon at the Barata Gallery; CRIARTE Exhibit at Belem's Cultural Center; Collective Exhibits at the Artespaço Gallery; 1st Biennial Digital Exhibit in Seriado da Cerveira; Digital Exhibit "Til Fredericia in Denmark", sponsored by the Tuborg Fund.