Cícero Dias was born on a sugar plantation in the Northeast of Brazil and lived between Paris and Recife, the capital of his home state. Negro (1920s) is a critical commentary on the condition of formerly enslaved people (who were freed by law in 1888) in the context of a still-agrarian Brazil. The sense of unbelonging, loneliness, and incommunicability is conveyed through the black and ochre tones used for the protagonist in the foreground, which contrast with the light and vibrant tones used in the rest of the painting. Additionally, the fact that the main character is facing away from the other figures, cornered by the pair of women blocking his passage, enhances those emotions. His gaze is directed towards the viewer, but his expression indicates that his thoughts are far away. In fact, the direction of his gaze is diametrically opposite to that of the flight of the free black bird. The connection between these two antagonistic realities (the bird’s freedom and the protagonist’s confinement) is made by the observer, who witnesses this disparity.
—Regina Barros
