Untitled 1966

Curator: Oh, this makes me feel like the world’s baking. A big golden crust cracking open… Editor: It’s evocative, isn't it? What you're experiencing is an untitled abstract work by Manabu Mabe, rendered in acrylic on canvas back in 1966. Think abstract expressionism with a distinct Japanese-Brazilian twist. Curator: Japanese-Brazilian? So, like, a fusion moment? That explains the disciplined chaos! Editor: Precisely! Mabe emigrated to Brazil as a child. He had a successful career, exploring color and form with a foot in each culture. It has both the energy of the New York school and a Japanese calligraphic sensibility. Look closely, you'll spot gestures almost like brushstrokes freed from depicting concrete forms. This period places him among a fascinating generation grappling with identity and place. Curator: You know, it's kind of fierce, all those burnt oranges wrestling with earthy browns. Like the painting is fighting to be born. I keep seeing an explosion – or a sunset consumed by… something. There is so much angst here. Editor: I think that tension speaks to the broader context of art during the mid-60s. Artists around the world questioned authority, pushed boundaries. Consider Brazil's own sociopolitical climate at the time and Mabe's artistic development becomes a reflection of global unease. The use of strong, almost clashing, colors really drives this home. Curator: Clashing, exactly! I think he felt it all deeply, you know? It isn’t calm – there is such passion here. Makes you think about the inner worlds that explode onto canvas, doesn’t it? All the unnamable emotions given form. Editor: Definitely. Abstraction becomes a powerful tool, when you can't represent political or social dissent openly, the artwork itself becomes a carrier of defiance, but I do like that you focused on his personal emotions. He clearly channelled so much in here. Curator: A wild kind of beautiful. Editor: Absolutely. It is a historical echo but still manages to make us think today.