Les Cavaliers 1913

Curator: Here we have Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso's "Les Cavaliers," crafted in 1913 using oil paint. What strikes you immediately about this canvas? Artist: It feels…alive! Like a joyous explosion viewed through a kaleidoscope. The fractured forms seem ready to leap off the canvas. Almost like a very complex child’s toy, but somehow it wants to convey also motion to me… Curator: The choice of oil allows for a rich layering of colors, which is key. Considering it was painted in 1913, Souza-Cardoso was likely engaging with Cubist and Post-Impressionist movements happening in Paris. What you see as dynamism could be his way of representing the rapid industrialization, challenging conventional forms. How might his material choices underscore this? Artist: Perhaps, the heavy oil paints are grounding something inherently fast paced? As in, painting the untouchable velocity, making a tactile feel out of that intangible acceleration? Maybe trying to put a feeling of control to our industrial advancement? Curator: Exactly! By embracing abstraction with this tactile medium, Souza-Cardoso avoids the clean lines of machine production, instead creating tension. The painting shows him in this specific moment as an artist grappling with progress through materials and his craft. How does that interpretation sit with you on an emotional level? Artist: On the emotional level…thinking of a time in which we could even stop and question industrial development brings up this deep and complex nostalgia. In today's society, thinking is as fast-paced as technological advancement, not stopping at all to consider a certain nostalgic pace of life... Curator: I find it fascinating how "Les Cavaliers," as a physical object and historical artifact, prompts such profound questions about labor and technology in relation to human experiences and anxieties. It isn’t just "about" horsemen, it reflects much broader social and political issues. Artist: I now realize it has opened this almost tragic, yet colorful gap where technology meets emotion.