Mulata e Pássaros 1967

Emiliano Di Cavalcanti made this painting, Mulata e Pássaros, with expressive brushwork and a limited palette that feels both vibrant and muted. It’s like he's inviting us into a world of simplified forms and deep colors where the process is right there on the surface. Look closely, and you'll see how Di Cavalcanti layers the paint, creating a sense of depth and texture. The way he renders the woman's features with broad strokes and subtle gradations of color gives her a monumental, almost iconic presence. But then, the birds, rendered with quick, gestural marks, add a sense of spontaneity. Notice the way the bars of the cage create these graphic patterns over the composition, it's almost like an abstract painting. It reminds me a little of Matisse in its flattening of space and its focus on color and pattern. But Di Cavalcanti brings his own unique sensibility to the mix, one that embraces both the formal qualities of painting and the emotional power of representation. It feels like he is interested in how we see rather than what we see, how the surface can come alive with feeling.