Mulher Deitada com Peixes e Frutas 

Emiliano Di Cavalcanti made this painting using oil on canvas. Oil paint is an interesting substance. Because it dries slowly, it allows the artist to blend colors gradually, creating subtle shifts in tone and luminosity. You can really see that here in the woman’s flesh, which seems to glow. The artist’s engagement with the material is more than just technical; it is imbued with social and cultural significance. Oil paint, while a traditional material, can also suggest the industrialization of art production. Tubes of paint made art more accessible, taking it out of the realm of artisanal craft and making it more like a commodity. Consider also the subject of this painting. The reclining woman is surrounded by fish and fruit – common goods that might be sold in the market. So, in this painting, Di Cavalcanti uses a material associated with both artistic tradition and industrialization to depict a scene of everyday life. This challenges the traditional distinction between fine art and craft, inviting us to consider the social context in which art is made and consumed.