Selaron's Staircase
The sculptor Jorge Celaron was born in 1947 in Chile. He loved traveling and exploring the world. After visiting 50 countries, Jorge decided to settle in Rio de Janeiro in 1980. The artist lived on the very prestigious Manuel Carneiro Street, connecting the urban areas of Santa Teresa and Lapa. The house in which he lived stood on a long staircase stretching 125 m and consisting of 215 steps. The artist decided to turn an unremarkable staircase, if not into a masterpiece, then at least into a beautiful object. The master began his work in 1990 and continued throughout his life.
The artist was not rich. To realize the idea, he first searched for tiles in landfills and construction sites. He also earned money for decoration materials by painting paintings. Simple paintings, the plot of which was only an African pregnant woman or even Jorge himself, but also pregnant for some reason. The artist did not comment on such a strange choice of the subject of the drawings. Only once did he say that it was related to his personal problem from the past. Selaron sold his creations for a low fee of 10 to 20 reais (5-10 dollars). He spent the money he earned on buying ceramic tiles and mirrors.
The artist laid out the tiles, and then painted and painted them according to his idea. He mainly used the colors of the Brazilian flag – yellow, blue and green. The neighbors laughed at him at first. But Selaron, ignoring the ridicule, continued his work, which became the meaning of his life. As soon as the sun rose, Jorge began to work, and finished when it became completely dark. The staircase of Selaron was transformed, tourists were already coming to admire it. She was featured on TV shows and on the pages of travel publications. Photographers and correspondents became frequent guests.
Tourists from all over the world, who were becoming more numerous, brought tiles and plates, and gave small sums of money. The master found a use for everything. He spent almost no money on himself. For 23 years, in his red shorts, he worked from early morning until late at night on the realization of the idea. The artist willingly and kindly communicated with tourists and claimed that his work would end only when he died. And so it happened. In January 2013, he was found dead on the steps of the Selaron Squadron. The police declared suicide.
The staircase of Selaron is completely covered with tiles and pieces of mirrors. There are 2,000 of them in total. You can find tiles from 60 countries around the world. The 300 tiles are hand-painted by Jorge himself. The Celaron Staircase has become famous all over the world. She can be seen in commercials and music videos, even in the popular Snoop Dogg. The staircase has become one of the main attractions of the city. It gets crowded with tourists who come to see it during the day.
