Social isolation and wildfires: genetic analysis of a work by Isabê

Abstract

This study analyzes a segment of the creative process of the artist Isabella Abreu (Isabê), from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, based on the painting Te Vejo (2020), part of the Memórias do Fogo series, developed during the period of social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Campo Grande, Brazil. The analysis is grounded in documentary records of the creative process, publicly shared through social media, interviews, and a documentary film. Drawing on the work of Fayga Ostrower, who understands creativity as a phenomenon intrinsically linked to human experience, the study explores how the pandemic context influenced the artist’s production. Using principles of Genetic Criticism, as proposed by Cecília Almeida Salles, along with elements of Peircean Semiotics, this research investigates how the collected documents reveal the dialogue between social isolation, the Pantanal wildfires, and the final artwork. It aims to understand the relationship between lived experience, context, and creative processes. Thus, the publicly available records were employed to trace the development of the artwork and to comprehend how the creative process adapts to specific conditions and artistic intentions.