Pintura Madí 1948

Gyula Kosice made this Madí painting, date unknown, using simple shapes and bright colors. Kosice was part of the Madí movement, formed in Buenos Aires in the 1940s. The Madí artists were interested in pushing back against the traditional art institutions in Argentina, such as the museums and academies. The Madí artists sought ways to make art that was free from the conventions of the past. You see this in the geometric abstraction and the unusual shape. It's not a square or a rectangle, but a circle with pieces cut out. This was a way to reject traditional notions of what a painting should be, and it was meant to challenge the viewer's expectations. To understand this work, we can look into Argentinian art history and the specific ideas of the Madí movement, through manifestos, exhibition catalogues, and critical writings from the time. This will give us a clearer picture of its original context.