Composição 

Almir Mavignier made this screen print known as ‘Composição’, sometime during his long career. It shows rows of blue and green circles on a grey background, and it immediately makes you think about Op Art and the desire to create optical illusions. But Mavignier worked in Brazil during the mid-20th century, and his art has a strong connection to social and political life. Along with other artists, he took inspiration from concrete art and aimed to create geometric forms that spoke to the urban and industrial world. You can see how this image evokes the kind of visual systems that are part of the modern, mechanized environment. Yet, it's also a composition, an artwork made for aesthetic contemplation. To understand the art of this period, we need to look at exhibition histories, artists' manifestos, and government policies. In this way, we see how art is not just about individual expression, but about the construction of values and ideas within a society.