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Composition

On a gray background, a mass of shape at center takes the form of something coiled and then shattered. The abstract form is made of many different-colored segments, some of which have a check pattern.
© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

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  • On a gray background, a mass of shape at center takes the form of something coiled and then shattered. The abstract form is made of many different-colored segments, some of which have a check pattern.

Date:

1936–37

Artist:

Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
French, born Portugal, 1908–1992

About this artwork

The many colorful patterns seen in Maria Helena Vieira da Silva’s abstract painting Composition derive from azulejo, decorative ceramic tilework common in Portugal and Spain, which the artist collected and admired. Despite finding her inspiration for abstract paintings in the material world, she described her compositions as evoking “a thought form rather than a realistic form.” Vieira da Silva insisted on the merits of abstraction even as the political situation in 1930s Europe seemed to demand artworks with a clear political message. She actively engaged in debates with the leftist intellectual group Amis du Monde on the political risks and merits of painting abstractly at this moment.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Modern Art

Artist

Maria Helena Vieira da Silva

Title

Composition

Place

Jersey (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1936–1937

Medium

Oil on canvas

Inscriptions

none

Dimensions

81.6 × 100.7 cm (32 1/8 × 39 5/8 in.)

Credit Line

Bequest of Maxine Kunstadter

Reference Number

1978.404

Copyright

© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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