The poor fool 1915

Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso painted ‘The Poor Fool’ using oil on canvas, a traditional medium elevated to fine art status. Oil paint has a unique characteristic: its slow drying time. This allowed Souza-Cardoso to manipulate the pigments and create a build-up of layers, modulating the tones of the face. The face itself, caught between geometrical planes and expressive color, is the main subject. Souza-Cardoso was not interested in capturing an exact likeness. His rough angular strokes and expressive palette highlight the emotional qualities of the painting: the poor fool’s introspection. By emphasizing the materiality of the paint and the process of applying it, Souza-Cardoso blurs the boundaries between representation and abstraction. The subject is transformed into a powerful expression of human emotion. This reminds us that every artwork is the result of skillful work and is therefore imbued with significance.