Anita Malfatti is considered a ground-breaking artist of modernism in Brazil. During her early artistic training in Berlin and New York, Anita Malfatti produced Expressionist portraits in which she captured the psychological characteristics of her models. In A mulher de cabelos verdes (1915), she constructs the figure by alternating patches of red and green, thus, creating a vibrant contrast. The anatomy of the face is distorted by elongated features (forehead, chin, ear, and nose), and by rounded lines that emphasise the model’s advanced age (cheeks and double chin) and resonate in the abstract background of the painting. The arched eyebrows, the intriguing gaze, and the uncertain smile contribute to the enigmatic and even eerie expression of the model. This work was displayed at the exhibition that Malfatti held in São Paulo in 1917, considered a watershed moment in the history of art in Brazil.
This is the first time the work of Anita Malfatti is presented at Biennale Arte.
—Regina Barros
