Sem Título 1969

Manuel Cargaleiro created this untitled painting with oil on canvas, here at the Gulbenkian Museum. The composition is immediately striking: a grid-like structure where vibrant reds and blues create a rhythmic push and pull across the surface. Cargaleiro masterfully juxtaposes geometric forms – circles, squares, and triangles – setting up visual tensions that animate the canvas. Look at how he divides the circles into quadrants, using color to disrupt their symmetry and invite the viewer's eye to move around the artwork. This careful arrangement reflects a deep engagement with semiotics, where the artwork can be interpreted as a set of signs. The basic shapes aren't just aesthetic choices; they could be seen as cultural codes, hinting at deeper meanings and inviting us to decode the painting's structure. Notice the lack of a central focus. This destabilization is crucial, suggesting that the painting resists any fixed interpretation. Instead, it operates as a field of relations where form and color interact to challenge established ways of seeing.