The Dutch visual artist Guus Slauerhoff (Sneek, Netherlands, 5 April 1945) was grasped by Fado as he discovered the Fado singer Cristina Branco, who expressed and interpreted a selection of poems by the poet Jan Jacob Slauerhoff (1898-1936) in Portuguese, on her CD 'Cristina Branco canta Slauerhoff '. Between November 2003 and March 2004 he accompanied the singer while she was touring the Dutch theatres, making many drawings of the concerts for his exhibition 'The emotion of Fado'. He wanted to make the sounds and feelings visible and tangible, thus adding a new dimension to Fado.
His fascination for Fado brought him to Lisbon various times in 2004 and 2005 to search and experience Fado there too. Especially the Alfama district and its Museu do Fado drew his attention. He started to feel at home and discovered that he was in the right place, it was as if he re-discovered himself. During his stays in Lisbon he drew pictures of the Fado singers in Fado houses and wandered around in Alfama, becoming more and more aware of its psyche. Ever since, Fado is an integral part of his personal life and his life philosophy.Since 2005, Guus works on the project 'The Soul of Fado'. At first, this resulted in an exhibition in the Fado museum, from november 2006 up to march 2007. 'The Soul of Fado' is a tribute to Fado, inspired by the history and the traditions of both Fado and Alfama. During his most recent stay, the artist gathered and registered impressions for further developing various types of art work. The intention is that a selection of these works of art will be situated within the district, which is currently being renovated. It is the artist's view that works of art should remain situated where they were created and consequently he considers Alfama and the Museu do Fado as his atelier: the points of arrival and return of his artistic quest for the soul of Fado.
The connection with Fado brought the artist to a renewed meeting with himself. The spirit of Fado brought back feelings of melancholy and happiness and fed the nostalgia (saudade) of times past and times still to come. For the artist, the meaning of Fado goes beyond his personal connotation since he considers it to have a more general meaning in the sense that it enables mankind to be human. There will always be a sense of nostalgia for that which is not there, for that which has been and as such it will continue to touch many lives. Because of this, the meaning of Fado goes far beyond the strict Portuguese definition - it becomes a universal value for human existence.Nostalgia, saudade, yearning, ardour, hope, melancholy, passion, love and happiness are innermost feelings. Fado enables us as human beings to communicate the intensely deep poetry of life. The art of Guus Slauerhoff intends to represent, touch and explore the social environment and the manner in which Fado is experienced in order to make an extra dimension of Fado tangible and visible. Thus the theme 'Soul of Fado'.
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