Figurines for Cunha Taylors 1913

Jose de Almada-Negreiros made *Figurines for Cunha Taylors* without a known date, but look at the way he's constructing an image through a kind of line drawing, that he then fills in with more marks. It’s all about the making. There's a curious dialogue happening between the flat expanses of color and the detailed patterning, especially in the dress of the central figure. I'm drawn to the confident, almost decorative use of line; look at the figure's dress, those marks are very present. It's a very graphic way of seeing; he's creating something solid out of something light. It's like he's trying to catch these figures, fixing them to the ground. De Almada-Negreiros reminds me of Picabia, with his use of bold, clean lines to almost 'cartoon' the human figure. What really makes this piece sing is the way it lets us in on the process, it's not trying to hide anything; it celebrates ambiguity over definition.