Sul da América 2002

Beatriz Milhazes made Sul da América with paint and canvas; I imagine she began by pulling thin stripes of olive, gold, and lavender down the canvas to build a shimmering backdrop. It looks like a garden party, but in painting! I see her layering motifs—circles and spirals, flowers and foliage—building up the surface like a collage. She’s so good at balancing control and chance, so I wonder if she works on the floor, moving around the canvas, letting gravity pull the paint in unexpected ways? I love how she uses geometric forms like circles and stripes to suggest depth and movement. I wonder what she’s thinking about when she makes these? I feel like she’s in conversation with Matisse and other painters who have used pattern and color to create joy and exuberance. It’s as though she's pulling together various influences and making them her own, opening up a space of freedom and possibility.