THE CURSE OF FORGETFUL LONGING (2025)

THE CURSE OF FORGETFUL LONGING (2025)

The Curse of Forgetful Longing (2025)

piano & acrylic on canvas

This piece marks the beginning of a new series—one that embraces imperfection as a form of truth. It began as an improvised piano recording, unplanned and unfiltered. The kind of music that doesn’t start with a statement or end with a resolution. It simply happens—wanders, stumbles, breathes. Somewhere along its path, a phrase from Jobim surfaces, Eu Te Amo, unannounced, like a memory breaking through silence. And then it goes on. You might hear what sounds like a baby seagull in the background. It seems to cry along with the music—hungry, unresolved. As if asking for something it can’t name. That sound becomes part of the piece. Not decoration, but echo. It complements the music in its own strange way.

The piano used in this recording has its own forgotten history. When I moved into this place, it was already here—an old upright, a German piano made over a century ago by C. Otto of Berlin. It had been neglected for years and was on its way to being discarded. But something in its silent presence seemed to ask not to be abandoned. I had it tuned—just yesterday, for the first time in decades. There’s a character in its voice now, aged but vulnerable, like something trying to speak again after a long silence. The instrument itself feels part of the story—its tones slightly weathered, its soul intact. It doesn’t perform; it remembers. It wants to be touched.

As the music played back, I found myself working on a small canvas. Nothing grand—just a surface, acrylic paint, and the echo of the feeling. The painting came into being as a companion to the music. I named it while listening: The Curse of Forgetful Longing. It’s not just about longing, but about the ache of being forgotten. That quiet prison of feeling for those who’ve turned away, moved on, or simply don’t remember. And yet you still carry them with you. That’s the curse. Not bitterness. Just a kind of human stuckness. A tenderness without direction.

The painting itself is dense with motion—interlaced lines like veins or vines, roots of thought or feeling coiling upward and across, constrained yet expressive. Reddish spines, bluish currents, pale ridges: they weave together like memories trying to surface through time. It’s a web of recollection and resistance. The lower blue feels submerged, aquatic, as if something is reaching from below. The top pulses with energy, but without harmony. Like music that remembers something it can’t quite retrieve.

This is not a performance. It’s not a composition. It’s not about virtuosity. I won’t polish the audio. I won’t edit out the flaws. The video only shows my hands. I won’t even try to make it into something it isn’t. Because it already is. It exists in that space between sound and silence, between memory and making, between paint and presence. The music comes from that kind of deep place—forgotten but alive, filled with both light and darkness. It aches without release. It hungers without resolution.

Interested in Acquiring a Work?

Several original pieces are available for direct purchase. If you are interested in this or other artworks featured on this site, feel free to reach out to inquire about pricing, availability, or further details.

You may contact the artist directly at cosmoartist@gmail.com

TECHNICAL INFORMATION:

Dimensions:

• Height: 20 cm
• Width: 30 cm
• Depth: Approx. 1.5–2 cm (standard stretched canvas profile)

Technique & Materials:

Acrylic paint on stretched canvas. Executed entirely by hand, the painting combines layered brushwork and gestural lines created in dialogue with an unedited piano improvisation. The surface is matte and unvarnished, preserving the texture and tonal variation of the acrylic. Signed on the reverse by the artist.

Frame:

Unframed.

Condition:

Excellent. The canvas is structurally sound, with no warping, creases, or surface damage. Stored in a dry, clean, protected space.

Documents:

No certificates, publications, or purchase documents are associated with this piece at present.

Shipping & Packaging:

The artwork will be carefully wrapped in protective layers (acid-free sheet + padding) and shipped flat in a reinforced cardboard parcel. Sent via registered mail with tracking and insurance from Portugal. Handling time: 1–3 working days.

Portugal: €18–22
Spain: €25–30
Rest of EU: €35–45
UK / Switzerland: €40–55
USA / Canada: €55–75
Rest of World: €60–85 (depending on destination)

Copyright Notice:

The artist, Rodrigo Ferrari-Nunes, retains all copyright and reproduction rights associated with this artwork. The purchase of the original piece does not confer any rights to reproduce, distribute, or publish the image in any format, physical or digital. Any use of the artwork for commercial or promotional purposes — including prints, merchandising, or online publication — must be expressly authorized in writing by the artist.
Rodrigo Ferrari Nunes

Rodrigo Ferrari-Nunes, Ph.D, is a social and cultural anthropologist, independent consultant, music producer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, artist, public intellectual and communicator.

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