Paysage Cubiste c. 1914

Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso made this ‘Cubist Landscape’ with oil on canvas, and it’s all about how he puts paint to work. The palette is grounded, a mix of earth and sky tones, but the way he applies it is what makes it sing. You can see the strokes building, layer after layer. The material presence of this painting is so vital. The surface has a kind of rugged texture, like the paint was coaxed into place. Look at the reddish arch – see how the color isn’t flat? There’s a life to it, a breath. He’s not trying to hide the making; he’s celebrating it. It’s like he’s building a world out of pigment, one dab at a time. You could see Picasso or Braque in this piece, but Souza-Cardoso has his own voice. He’s playing with form and color, always in conversation with the painting itself. It feels like an ongoing process of discovery, a beautiful invitation to look again.