Escala de cor #19 2009

This is Pedro Calapez’s “Escala de cor #19”, but when it was painted is unknown. The artwork displays a series of horizontal color fields, each a distinct band, reminiscent of a musical scale of hues. Color, as a symbol, is a non-verbal language able to reach the atavistic and subconscious layers of the mind. The bands evoke ancient tapestries or banners, each color carrying layers of meaning. Blue, universally associated with the sky and divinity, appears alongside red, a primal symbol of life, blood, and passion. Yellow, the color of the sun and intellect, contrasts with green, representing nature and growth. The composition is not random; its intentional arrangement speaks to a deeper, perhaps subconscious, order. Consider how color, since ancient times, has appeared in art and rituals, from the ochre drawings in caves to the use of precious lapis lazuli in religious iconography. Calapez’s work, in its simplicity, compels us to consider the persistence and evolution of symbols across time. The artist’s arrangement of colors speaks to the cyclical nature of visual motifs, forever resurfacing.