Concrete Art: concept, examples and context in Brazil

Concrete art (or concretism) is a term created by the Dutch artist Theo Van Doesburg (1883-1931) in the 1930s. This artistic side sought to work with plastic elements in a direct and objective manner.

Likewise, he used plans, colors, lines and points to breed non-figurative works.

Despite being strongly linked to abstract art, concretism emerges as an opposition to vertente. The breeder Theo Van Doesburg stated:

A concrete painting is not abstract, because nothing is more concrete, more real than a line, a color, a surface.

The intention of concretism, therefore, was to distance itself from any representation of the world. Abstractionism, even if it does not figuratively represent something, traces symbolic loopholes and expresses sentiments.

Já a concrete art traced characteristics as a rationality, connection with mathematics and clarity, I oppose that it is immaterial and subjective.

Besides Doesburg, other great European names of this movement are Dutch or Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), or Russian Kazimir Maliévitch (1878-1935) and his Swiss Max Bill (1908-1994).

Concrete art in Brazil

In Brazil, this movement began to strengthen from two years 50, after the first Biennial of the Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo (1951).

The event trouxes influential artists from other parts of the world and presents the work of Max Bill, which was awarded and inspired various artists in the national territory.

Likewise, it created two trends from concrete art, organized by artists from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

EITHER front group, as a fico made of the mobilization of two cariocas, traces artists concerned with the process, experience and research, not yet dated to traditional concrete language. Some two participants of this group, foram:

• Ivan Serpa (1923-1973)
• Lygia Clark (1920-1988)
• Helio Oiticica (1937-1980)
• Abraão Palatinik (1928-2020)
• Franz Weissman (1914-2005)
• Lygia Pape (1929-2004)

In São Paulo, therefore, the group that was formed was more faithful to the mathematical and logical principles of concretism. O nome que recebeu foi Rupture Group, created from a concrete art exhibition in 1952 at MAM (Museu de Arte Moderna). It was formed by several artists, among them:

• Waldemar Cordeiro (1925-1973)
• Luiz Sacilotto (1924-2003)
• Lothar Charoux (1912-1987)
• Geraldo de Barros (1923-1998)

It is worth mentioning that in addition to painting, this aspect also manifested itself in Brazil through sculpture and concrete poetry.

neoconcretism

Neoconcretism in Brazil emerges as a development of the concrete movement, but in opposition to it.

EITHER manifesto neoconcrete It is also organized by artists from front group, in 1959, and proposes greater freedom of creation and return to subjectivity, in addition to the possibility of interaction between the public and the work.

Examples of concrete and neoconcrete art

tripartite unit, by his suíço Max Bill, is a sculpture that was exhibited at the First Biennial of Modern Art of São Paulo, in 1951. Winner of the best sculpture award, the work was highlighted at the Brazilian artistic dinner.

Lygia Pape grew up at the end of two years 50 a series of woodcuts, entitled Tecellar.

Helio Oiticica also carried out many concretist and neo-concretist experiments, among them the metaschemas. His works are made in gouache and cardboard that trace concise geometric shapes.

Já Lygia Clark created a series of double sculptures that she called from Bugs. The works were idealized in the 1960s, already in their neo-concretist phase.

You may also be interested:

• Hélio Oiticica: works to understand his trajectory
• Lygia Clark: works to meet a contemporary artist
• Poems to understand concrete poetry

Bibliography: PROENÇA, Graça. History of Art. São Paulo: Editora Ática, 2002.