Tarsila do Amaral
O Lago
1928
75,5
x 93 cm
oil
on canvas
The work of Tarsila do
Amaral (Brazil, 1886–1973) came to my attention about a decade ago. She has
remained an important reference artist for me, not only because of her great
paintings but also because she has been a constructive ‘bridge-figure’ between
different cultures, creating a fusion between ‘tropical’ Brazilian
representations and ‘western’ modernism.
One of her most well-known
paintings is ‘Abaporu’ (1928), translated as ‘flesh-eating man’, which was a
gift to her husband and poet Oswald de Andrade. It inspired him to write the
‘Anthropophagic Manifesto’, and was the starting point for the ‘Anthropophagic
Movement’:
“This
Movement sought to devour and transform the culture of the external other, i.e.
the cultures of Europe and North America and the culture of the internal other,
i.e. the cultures of the Native Americans and the descendants of African and
Asian immigrants. This approach adhered to the metaphorical character of the
word “Anthropophagic”. In summary, one should not reject or imitate foreign
cultures, but rather “swallow”, “digest”, and integrate them in a new creative
process. The figure of the Abaporu became the symbol of the Anthropophagic
Movement that advocated a rebellion against the submission of the Brazilian
cultural standards to the art doctrines of developed countries at the time.”
(tarsiladoamaral.com.br – biography)
The idea to link the figure
of cannibalism to the idea of ‘swallowing cultures’ is in my opinion still very
actual in terms of rethinking cultural colonialism. The work of Tarsila do
Amaral is a great example of a female painter who was able to explore these
complex issues at the forefront of Modernism and throughout the various periods
of her career whilst keeping an open, fresh and curious look onto the world.
Hadassah
Emmerich, 2017
Hadassah Emmerich (NL)
Ulterior Motive 8
2017
74
x 47 cm
oil
and printing ink on linen
