Aluisio Carvao’s Tema Circular 1
Aluisio Carvao, and his abstract geometric paintings, can be regarded as an excellent representation for the creation of art during the mid 20th century in Brazil. Carvao, and many other like-minded artists at the time, embraced a tenet of methodical construction in art that was a cornerstone of the artistic movement of Brazilian Constructivism. While many Brazilian Constructivists approached the creation and formal structure of their geometric art similarly, each individual held their own beliefs concerning the expression of their ideas. In the creation of his own art, Aluisio Carvao sought to develop a bond between the idea of subjective, self expression, and the abstraction of geometry in a way that side-stepped orthodox tenets of Concrete Brazilian Constructivism at the time. In visual explanation of Brazilian Constructivist art, focus will be shifted to a two dimensional painting executed by Carvao in 1957. Tema Circular 1, or Circular Theme No. 1 is a flat composition manifested through the use of oil paint pigment on a 32” x 25” 3/8 piece of hardboard. Through the implementation of solid brush strokes and color fills, a simple, yet thoroughly calculated, geometrically abstract composition is finalized on a flat surface. The painting is comprised of only four elements that include a multi-colored circle that is positioned slightly to the left of the center of the composition, two line segments that are calculatingly placed on opposite sides of the central circle, and a solid, pale grey surface utilized as the background. Obvious to the viewer, the circle is perceived as the focal point of the composition, commanding attention to the variance of color that is inconsistent with the other black and grey aspects of the piece. The circle, in actuality, is a combination of four different shapes, each with a different color of pigment applied to create this multi-colored focal point of the painting. The largest shape is positioned at the top of the circle, and is observed as a pale, forest green half circle that horizontally bisects the circle as a whole. The second shape, observed in a clockwise rotation, is a rich, slightly shaded, red quarter section of the circle that sits under the previous half circle. Continuing in a clockwise direction, the third shape is a right, isosceles triangle that is the same shade of grey as the background, which creates a sense of exclusion and negative space within the circle. The final shape is a deep, navy blue half-ellipse that shares one of the grey triangle’s edges. This half-ellipse, and the triangular negative space combine to form the remaining quarter section of the circle, which completes the shape and encloses the negative space within the circle. Independent of the circle are two, black line segments that have both curvilinear and rectilinear attributes. The first line segment is placed above and to the left of the circle, and behaves as a path that partially envelops the outer perimeter of the circle. Moving from left to right, the line segment begins to arc down towards the circle, then rises up to form another arc that echoes the circle. The segment then loses its curvature and juts directly upwards, and ends shortly after. This creates an incomplete “S” form with a sort of vertical line-crest that creates a spatial relation of form between the segment and the circle. The second line segment is placed opposite of the first; under and to the right of the circle and functions with the same purpose as the first line segment. With an origin point in the lower right area of the composition, the line moves directly towards the circle, then abruptly changes direction in the form of a large, downward arc that rises towards the upper right area of the composition, and ends after reaching the middle right area of the piece. This form resembles an oblong, reversed “Y” shape whose