Macumba 1958

Emiliano Di Cavalcanti made this painting, Macumba, with oil on canvas, and it’s like stumbling into a dream. He’s playing with a vibrant but limited colour palette, mixing reds, blues, and earth tones. It’s less about what we see, and more about how we feel. Look at the knife, so casually placed with what looks like blood. What kind of ritual is this? Di Cavalcanti's brushwork seems both careful and reckless, the paint is applied in flat blocks, but there are layers, like a history being built right on the canvas. The dummy looks like it has been constructed as an offering. The eye travels around the canvas, jumping between objects and colors. It reminds me of Frida Kahlo, in the way that it delves into the surreal to deal with mortality. It makes you wonder about all the possible stories, and how art can reveal a truth without ever telling it straight.