Steel Mask c. 1914 - 1915

Curator: Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso created this oil painting, "Steel Mask," around 1914 to 1915. What strikes you about it? Editor: Immediately, I notice the simplified, almost geometric shapes used to construct the figure. The limbs seem oddly cylindrical and stiff. There's a palpable tension between the smooth, flat planes and the attempt at depicting something representational. Curator: The title certainly adds a layer of interpretation, doesn't it? The 'mask' perhaps refers to the constructed nature of identity in the modern world. Souza-Cardoso was, after all, working in a period of immense social upheaval and re-evaluation. The First World War loomed, and traditional social structures were collapsing. Editor: Precisely. And that rigidity I noticed resonates. The use of industrial-looking forms and those stark, contrasting colours; it's almost as if he's consciously stripping away the organic to reveal a mechanistic being underneath. The crisp lines deny natural human curves and seem to make the figure less human and more like the industrial era that the subject lives in. Curator: Absolutely. This also connects to the broader Modernist fascination with technology and its impact on humanity. There's this sense that traditional portraiture, with its focus on capturing individual essence, was no longer adequate in representing the new human condition, so, it became abstract to represent these issues. Editor: And I see a material contradiction here. Oil paint, a traditionally "fine art" medium, is employed to create this almost graphic, simplified representation. He’s denying its natural fluidity, it is very thick and precise. He is working directly against what one might anticipate he could achieve using this means. Curator: Interesting observation. And in terms of public reception, works like "Steel Mask" initially faced strong criticism, as they challenged the established norms of representation and beauty, didn't they? It wasn't until later that people saw it as an astute visual commentary. Editor: Well, seeing how Souza-Cardoso wrestled with his material alongside this image and all that this picture means only furthers my appreciation. It’s a complex comment made with very calculated use of materials. Curator: I agree. It certainly forces us to question our assumptions about representation and the role of the artist. Editor: It does. Art like this serves as a potent reminder that beauty and skill alone do not comprise art.