O ESTUDO DO HOMEM, 1915/16 carvão e pastel, 62,5 x 47,2 cm Coleção de Artes Visuais , IEB-USP 1915

Anita Malfatti made "O Estudo do Homem" in 1915/16 with charcoal and pastel. The way she fearlessly lays down marks really grabs me; it's all about the process, you know? Like she’s thinking out loud with charcoal. Looking at the surface, you can almost feel the give of the paper and the chunky drag of the charcoal. It’s pretty cool how she’s used these deep blacks to define the form of the figure against this backdrop of greens, yellows, and blues, all smudged and hazy. The color isn’t trying to be realistic, but it’s more about mood, creating this vibrant space that still feels kind of dreamlike. Notice that dark line running down the figure's back? It pulls the whole piece together, making your eye dance around the composition. Malfatti, like so many artists, was in dialogue with what was happening around her. I wonder if she was looking at Kirchner? Either way, she's carving out her own space and asking us to see the world, and the figure, anew. Art is never a fixed idea, right? It's always a question.