Samba 1945

Anita Malfatti made this painting, Samba, with oil on canvas, though the exact date remains a mystery. Looking at this canvas, I'm struck by its energetic brushstrokes and warm color palette. It's a kind of controlled chaos, where each mark feels both deliberate and spontaneous, mirroring the dance it represents. The surface is alive with texture; you can almost feel the impasto of the paint. The brushwork is really visible. See how she’s built up layers, creating depth and movement? Take, for example, the central figures, a couple seated on the ground. The woman’s vibrant pink dress is formed of short flicks of paint, giving it a shimmering, almost vibrating quality. This mark-making echoes the energy of the samba, translating the rhythm and vitality of the dance into pure paint. Malfatti’s loose, expressive style reminds me of some of the early Expressionists, like Emil Nolde. Like them, she’s using the language of paint to express a deep emotional truth rather than a literal representation. It’s a reminder that art is a conversation, constantly evolving and reinterpreting the world around us.