Rubem Valentim is a central figure in Brazilian art and a key reference in twentieth-century Afro-Atlantic production. This body of work emerged during the artist’s “Rome Phase”, a period spent briefly in Italy. Immersed in the experience of being a foreigner, Valentim deepened his quest for a language intertwined with Brazil’s African heritage. Using symbols related to the orixás – the deities worshiped in the pantheon of the African Candomblé religion developed in Brazil – he delved into curves and geometries, decoding and exploring symmetries and dialogues between pure and synthetic forms. In his artistic alphabet, Valentim accentuated shapes and primary colours, crafting a vocabulary of forms which generated as many words as there were arrangements between them. In his works from this period we observe the influence of Valentim’s recent exploration of sculpture, accentuating three- dimensional thinking in his canvases. At the centre of the compositions, totemic forms emerges, playing a role in establishing symmetry. The equal sides allude to Xangô, the orixá of justice, portrayed with his axe, metaphorically cutting with the same weight and measure on both sides.
—Amanda Carneiro
